Three New York City Police Officers Wounded, Suspect In Critical Condition After Altercation In Brooklyn

Three New York City police officers and a suspect were recovering Thursday following an altercation in New York City’s Brooklyn borough that left the four men wounded.

The altercation unfolded around 11:45 p.m. Wednesday when the suspect, whose name has not been released, approached an officer and stabbed him in the neck. Police said the officer was at an anti-looting post amid the George Floyd protests, though the altercation was largely removed from Wednesday's march and unrelated.

Several officers responded to the stabbing, with one pulling his firearm on the suspect. The suspect allegedly charged at the officer and the two struggled for the gun before it went off twice, hitting one officer in the hand and another in the arm.

A fourth officer pulled his gun and fired on the suspect, wounding him.

The three officers wounded in the struggle, whose names were not released, were rushed to Kings County Hospital, where doctors said they suffered non-life-threatening injuries and are expected to recover. However, the suspect was in critical condition.

“It appears to be a complete cowardly, despicable, unprovoked attack on a defenseless police officer,” NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea told a press conference. “I think we are all fed up with, what we’re saying is this violence has to stop.”

A witness said as many as 16 gunshots were fired in the incident.