A reward for information leading to the arrest of a man who shot an NYPD officer after a disruption on an MTA bus in Queens a day ago doubled to $20,000 over the course of the day Thursday as the gunman stayed at large, police say.
One person was taken into custody for questioning in connection with Wednesday's mid-afternoon shooting near 161st Street and Jamaica Avenue, but the NYPD says it has yet to catch the gunman who fired on one of their own.
According to the NYPD, the chaos started aboard an MTA bus heading east on Jamaica Avenue around 3:30 p.m. The driver got out to flag down two cops, reporting that a man and another passenger were fighting over a seat. The officers approached the bus just as a man took off through the front door, pushing them out of his way, officials said.
One of the officers was able to catch up to the man, and a brief struggle ensued, officials said. The man then fired one shot, striking the officer near the right hip. The other officer then fired twice, but it wasn't clear if the suspect was hit. He took off on 161st Street and west onto 88th Avenue into a parking garage. He was last seen near Hillside Avenue.
NYPD Commissioner Keechant Sewell said the man, who has not been identified, should be "considered armed and dangerous." The weapon he used to shoot the officer, a rookie with three months on the job, hasn't been recovered.
The officer was taken to a hospital for treatment and is expected to be OK. He is 22 years old.
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"He was where our communities tell us they want their officers to be, standing a footpost," Sewell said in a press briefing shortly after the shooting. "He was flagged down by a community member who needed help. He was taking police action, then he was shot."
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Cellphone video from the scene showed the frantic moments as fellow officers carried the injured officer to safety.
Police released multiple surveillance images of the suspect (below).
As far as the reward money, $10,000 is payable by the Cop Shot Foundation. The other $10,000 comes from Crime Stoppers ($3,500) and the NYPD itself ($6,500).
Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at -800-577-TIPS.
