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Cops Kill Brooklyn Burglary Suspect Who Allegedly Pointed Gun At Them
By
Jen Chung
Published Jul 12, 2016
Modified Mar 26, 2018
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By
Jen Chung
Published Jul 12, 2016
Modified Mar 26, 2018
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Police officers responding to a 911 call about a burglary fatally shot a suspect in Brooklyn last night. Chief James O'Neill said that while officers were pursuing the alleged burglar, "The suspect pointed a revolver at the sergeant. Both the sergeant and another uniformed member of the service discharged their service weapons."
The incident unfolded at 2271 78th Street, a three-story home in the Bensonhurst, when two men allegedly held up a family of eight, including an infant, in a home invasion robbery. The suspects posed as construction workers, wearing uniforms and hard hats. WABC 7 reports, "When they got inside, they pulled their guns and rounded up the residents of the home including seven adults and a baby, then started robbing the place."
Police arrived at 6:30 p.m., and apparently saw one of the men heading to the third floor. The alleged home invader shoved the air-conditioning unit out of a window, Chief O'Neill said, and headed down a fire escape.
"After scaling a fence onto Stillwell Avenue, the suspect was confronted by a uniformed sergeant," O'Neill explained. "The suspect pointed a revolver at the sergeant. Both the sergeant and another uniformed member of the service discharged their service weapons."
The 39-year-old suspect, who was shot twice, was pronounced dead at Coney Island Hospital. O'Neill also said that the sergeant was very close to the suspect: "It was close. As the suspect came over the wall, the sergeant was right there, so he had to actually push his arm away. So it was close, real close."
Police noted they found a revolver at the scene. None of the residents in the home were injured.
A second suspect, described as a heavy-set man in his 30s, is still at large; he was possibly wearing a yellow construction hat when he fled.
The news of the home invasion shocked the neighborhood as police flooded the area. One resident told WCBS 2, "You never hear of anything like this happening around here. This is a very safe neighborhood."
This is the second police-involved shooting in two days; on Sunday morning, a man who allegedly waved his gun at cops in Prospect Lefferts Gardens was shot and wounded by an officer.
Tagged
bensonhurst
home invasion
nypd
police shooting
robbery
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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