Two NYPD officers were shot and another slashed late last night in Brooklyn. A suspect is also in critical condition with a gunshot wound.
The incident -- which does not appear to be connected to the protests, but that angle is being investigated -- took place around 11:45 p.m. near Church and Flatbush Avenues in Flatbush in Brooklyn, not near the protests that were going on at the time. The incident unfolded when a suspect approached a police officer on Church Avenue near Flatbush Avenue at about 11:45 p.m. and stabbed him in the neck.
Several cops responded to the scene and one pulled his firearm, the sources said. The officer and the suspect then struggled for the weapon, which went off striking one officer in the hand and another in the arm.
The officers were transported to Kings County Hospital, their injuries are non-life-threatening. The suspect suffered at least gunshot wound and is in critical condition.
“It appears to be a complete cowardly, despicable, unprovoked attack on a defenseless police officer,” NYPD commissioner Dermot Shea said at a press conference following the shooting.
Mayor Bill de Blasio went to the hospital to visit the officers, calling it a "very tough night." He says, "Thank God all of our officers will recover," the mayor said. "Thank God this very, very challenging situation ... Thank God our officers came through safely."
Photo: Getty