NYPD: Detective shot in Crown Heights was result of friendly fire
Officers opened fire at the man who approached the NYPD vehicle with a gun in his hand, and Detective Karroll was shot in the back of his bulletproof vest.
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The NYPD says that Detective Robert Karroll, who was injured during an early morning incident in Crown Heights Sunday, was wounded as a result of friendly fire.
Officials say that just after 4 a.m., an 18‑year‑old man was seen on Nostrand Avenue displaying a gun - at one point at a man outside a deli.
A short time later, he allegedly fired at a passing Uber, hitting the vehicle. The driver and the passenger were not injured.
Moments later, the man apparently approached an unmarked NYPD vehicle with the gun visible in his hand.
Officers opened fire at the man, and Detective Karroll was shot in the back of his bulletproof vest, which police now confirm appears to be friendly fire.
Karroll suffered bruising and is expected to fully recover at Kings County Hospital, according to NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch.
The man, who was not struck by the bullets, ran from the scene, leading to a foot chase, that ended on Union Street and Rogers Avenue. Officers tased the man and placed him under arrest.
The man dropped the gun during the chase, which was later recovered by police.
A second officer also suffered bruising as a result of the incident.
Both officers had been reassigned to the area as part of the NYPD’s July 4 violence‑reduction plan, following duty at the Sail 250 event in lower Manhattan, according to Tisch.
