Two NYPD officers were shot and injured during an alleged confrontation with a suspect Tuesday, as announced in a press conference by NYPD News, a Twitter video shows.
The officers were attempting to arrest 39-year-old Melvin Butler, the alleged perpetrator, when the situation escalated, according to the press conference. “We have a very violent and dangerous person that has a long record of violence,” Democratic New York City Mayor Eric Adams alleged in video.
“Two officers from the 73rd Precinct were shot today while doing the job New Yorkers asked them to do. Our officers are here at New York City Health + Hospitals/Kings County where they are being treated for their wounds and expected to make full recoveries,” Police Commissioner Edward A. Caban said in the press conference.
Watch as NYPD executives & Mayor Adams provide a law enforcement update regarding an incident in Brooklyn. https://t.co/gUtHxibI5C
— NYPD NEWS (@NYPDnews) January 16, 2024
Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny further detailed the alleged events that unfolded in an apartment building around 3:31 p.m. in the video. The incident began when three officers and a sergeant responded to a distress call from Butler’s mother, who reported allegedly being assaulted by her son, Kenny explained. She allegedly suffered a head injury, according to the chief of detectives. During the press conference, Kenny said the bodycam footage of the encounter was under review. (RELATED: 3 Cops Shot In Standoff In North Carolina)
Butler allegedly resisted arrest, Kenny stated. The chief of detectives alleged he managed to seize a gun from one of the officers and opened fire. The first officer was allegedly shot in the left hand and the second allegedly in the left thigh, according to Kenny. In the ensuing chaos, police at the scene allegedly shot Butler in the stomach and leg, Kenny said. The alleged suspect is in critical but stable condition, the chief of detectives added.
“He has six prior arrest in New York City, and one prior arrest in North Carolina. He has a history of resisting arrest, and of domestic violence,” Kenny further detailed the alleged suspect’s criminal record in the press conference.