Man charged after pointing gun at brother, NYPD in East Village: Police

Friday, March 24, 2023
EAST VILLAGE, Manhattan (WABC) -- A man in the East Village has been charged with criminal possession of a weapon, after he threatened his brother and NYPD officers with a gun.

Officials say they arrived at the scene on East 4th Street at around 7:50 p.m. Thursday, after they had been canvassing the area on reports of an armed suspect.
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The suspect 20-year-old Richard Mendez, allegedly pointed his gun at police. Authorities say that's when an officers fired at him.

Investigators are looking into whether Mendez ever fired his weapon at the officers.

"It's a never ending story. There's always something going on," one resident said.

Police took Mendez into custody and recovered the gun he allegedly used to threaten his brother.



Officials say they are investigating whether that gun has been used in other crimes.

"It could have been any body hurt. I'm glad they caught him. It's one less," a resident said.
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This is the second night in a row officers shot at an armed suspect.

Police say a man fired at them while they were responding to an attempted robbery in Marble Hill. At least one of the officers fired back.

Luckily, no one was hit by gunfire in either of these incidents.


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