An NYPD police officer and a woman were shot in Queens by an armed robbery suspect who was a repeat offender and believed to be responsible for other robberies. The officer is expected to return to the force once he recovers. NBC New York’s Melissa Colorado reports.
The armed robbery suspect who died after shooting an NYPD officer and another woman while committing a crime spree in Queens was a lifetime parolee with 17 prior arrests, including murder, who was last arrested six days earlier, authorities say.
NYPD officials say Gary Worthy, a 57-year-old who lived in the borough, was on lifetime parole for firearms possession. He was last arrested for narcotics possession and resisting arrest, though was released. He previously served time in prison for burglary and weapons charges.
Worthy, who had been arrested for seven crimes since 2001, was also wanted for three other robberies at gunpoint, according to police. Shots were fired as well during those robberies, which occurred earlier in November and on Halloween. He was shot in the face after firing at NYPD Officer Rich Wong and pronounced dead at a hospital.
Mayor Eric Adams called Worthy a "reckless perpetrator who allegedly showed a complete disregard for human life."
According to the investigation, officers responded to a 911 call of a robbery in progress at a deli on Hillside Avenue near 164th Street in Jamaica around 5:30 p.m. They were told a man walked up to the counter, took out a black revolver and fired at the cash register before running from the scene.
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As police searched for him, another witness flagged down officers and pointed out a man on Jamaica Avenue and 160th Street who the witness said had just robbed a nearby smoke shop and fired a shot while doing so.
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About an hour after the first robbery, Wong and another uniformed officer, along with two on-duty neighborhood coordination officers, approached a man who fit Worthy's descripton. He pulled out a gun and took off when they tried to stop him. After being ordered to drop his weapon, the suspect fired once, hitting Wong in the thigh.
Wong then returned fire, striking the suspect in the face. The seven-year NYPD veteran was hospitalized but was expected to make a full recovery, police said, and was released from the hospital on Wednesday to a round of applause from fellow officers.
A 26-year-old woman who was shopping was also shot at some point during the exchange, with a bullet striking her in the leg. It wasn't immediately clear who shot her, but she was expected to recover as well.
