NEW YORK (1010 WINS) — Both NYPD officers allegedly shot and wounded by a career criminal in the Bronx Wednesday night have been released from the hospital, with the second heading home Friday evening.
Police released footage of Officer Robert Holmes being wheeled from a hospital Friday evening as he headed home. It came a little more than a day after Officer Alejandra Jacobs was released following the Thanksgiving Eve shootout.
"Less than 48 hours after being shot while confronting an armed suspect in the Bronx, our officer left the hospital to cheers from his family in blue as he returns home to recover surrounded by loved ones," the NYPD tweeted.
Holmes, an eight-year veteran on the force, was wounded in his right armpit.
The shooting occurred near East 187th Street and Beaumont Avenue in Belmont shortly after 8 p.m Wednesday as the pair responded to a 911 call about a person armed with a gun.
NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea said it came after a member of the community called 911 with a detailed description of an individual in possession of a firearm.
As the officers approached the building, Shea said they encountered the suspect sitting on the front stoop, adding that within seconds, they became involved in a gun battle.
"As they walk up they see the individual that fits the description of the 911 caller to a T," Shea said. "As the male officer opens the front gate, he's speaking to the individual and he immediately says 'Can you take your hands out of your pockets' and as he takes a step towards him, the individual stands up, the gun comes out and the shots are fired."
Police said four shots were fired from the suspect's gun. Jacobs, a military veteran currently serving in the U.S. Air Force Reserves, returned fire five times, striking the suspect.
Holmes was struck in his right armpit area with the bullet exiting his left chest "within inches, obviously, of a much different outcome," Shea said.
During the encounter, Holmes wrestled the suspect to the ground and did not fire any shots from his service weapon.
Police said Jacobs was shot twice in the arm.
Both officers were taken to St. Barnabas Hospital with non-life threatening injuries. Shea said both officers were in good spirits.
"We have two incredibly brave police officers doing their job and not complaining a bit right now as they're laying recovering in a hospital bed, eager to get back to work and loving what they do, serving the people of New York City," Shea said.
"We saw something in visiting these officers — extraordinary courage on display tonight," Mayor Bill de Blasio said. "Two people of just extraordinary spirit — officers who are in this work cause they want to protect people, they want to save lives. They were not thinking about themselves. Each of them had bullet wounds, all they could talk about was their commitment to keeping people safe and why they came on this job and why they believe in it."
The entire encounter, which Shea said took place over two to three seconds, was captured on body camera video, which has not yet been released to the public.
"What strikes you as you watch that video is the speed in which it happens and the no regard for human life. You have two New York City police officers at 8 o'clock in the evening on Thanksgiving Eve walking up to an individual in uniform on a Bronx street and immediately that individual takes out a gun and starts shooting," Shea said.
"We've looked at the video. We saw officers doing their job," de Blasio said. "I want to give thanks for these officers, I want to give thanks for all the men and women of the NYPD who protect us, I want to give thanks that these two, thank God, are okay and it looks like they'll make a full recovery and we all need to count our blessings right now."
The suspect underwent surgery and is also expected to recover, police said.
A firearm was recovered on the scene.
"What we know about this firearm is that it was reported stolen last year in Georgia, obviously made its way, as far too many guns do, up into New York City causing carnage on the streets," Shea said.
Shea described the suspect as "a career criminal with far too many arrests."
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