BROWNSVILLE, Brooklyn (PIX11) — A suspect in the shooting of an off-duty NYPD officer in East New York was arrested late Monday using the critically-wounded cop’s handcuffs, police said Tuesday.
NYPD officials held a news briefing Tuesday morning to provide more information on the arrest, as well as an update on the officer’s condition.
Randy Jones, 38, was arrested in connection with the Saturday shooting after members of the Regional Fugitive Task Force tracked him to a hotel in Spring Valley, police said. He was initially taken into custody as a person of interest but was ultimately deemed a suspect after questioning. Specific charges were not immediately announced.
The officer and his brother-in-law were out trying to buy an SUV they saw advertised on Facebook Marketplace, bringing about $20,000 cash to a Saturday meeting with the purported seller near Ruby Street in East New York, police said.
But at some point during the exchange, the would-be seller pulled out a gun and shot the off-duty officer in the head, police said. The officer’s brother-in-law grabbed the cop’s gun from its holster and returned fire. The shooter fled in a black vehicle, without the officer’s cash.
The officer was rushed to an area hospital, where he remained in critical condition, fighting for his life, as of Tuesday morning.