NYPD Cop Critically Injured After Being Shot in The Head, Massive Manhunt Underway

Scene of cop shot in Queens 212 St and 104 Ave Photo by Paul Martinka

UPDATE:

The suspect was arrested and is in custody was identified as Demetrius Blackwell — a 35-year-old ex-con, sources said.

Blackwell was wanted for committing an unknown crime in Nov. 2014. No other details were immediately available.

ORIGINAL STORY:

An NYPD cop was shot in the head and chest and critically wounded in Queens on Saturday.

The anti-crime officer worked out of the 105th Precinct in Queens Village and was on duty when he was hit at around 6:15 p.m. It was not clear whether he was in uniform – anti-crime officers often do plainclothes patrols.

A suspect was initially believed to be holed up in a nearby building at 212th Street and 104th Avenue. Police sent hostage negotiaters to try to talk him out – only to discover it was a false tip. The search has now expanded.

The cop, described as a four-year veteran who is not married, was rushed to Jamaica Hospital in a radio car. He was responding to a report of a person with a gun.

“It doesn’t look good,” one cop was overheard telling another in the emergency room where many cops gathered, awaiting news as the injured officer underwent surgery.

The officer was the fifth New York City cop shot in the last five months.

On Dec. 20, Officers Wenjian Liu, 32, and Rafael Ramos, 40, were executed, shot point-blank in the head as they sat in their patrol car in Brooklyn, working overtime as part of an anti-terrorism drill.

The gunman, Ismaaiyl Brinsley, 28, committed suicide on a nearby subway platform. Hours before the killing, Brinsley posted online that he was “putting Wings on Pigs Today,” and appeared to reference the police-involved killings of Eric Garner in Staten Island and Michael Brown in Ferguson, Miss.

On Jan. 5, two officers questioning a robbery suspect in the Bronx survived after they were shot by a second suspect.

Officers Andrew Dossi and Aliro Pellerano had just finished their shifts when they heard about the robbery of a deli and returned to investigate.

The plainclothes cops were questioning Joshua Kemp, 28, about the robbery when another man opened fire on them from inside a Chinese restaurant near East 184th Street and Tiebout Avenue, police said.

Dossi’s left forearm was shattered, and he was nearly paralyzed by a bullet that hit his back. Pellerino’s injuries were less severe.

Jason Polanco, 24, was later arrested and charged with attempted murder.