It was still an active scene early Friday morning.
Police say when they were trying to take a 18-year-old suspect into custody, a sergeant fell backwards. As the suspect tried to get past them it prompted the fellow officer to open fire.
Suspect Antonio Morales was hit in the lower back and once in the right arm around 10:20 p.m. Thursday. The NYPD said they had been searching for this suspect after his father reported he had robbed his mother and his older brother at gunpoint on Van Nest Avenue just after 9:15 p.m.
The teen went into an apartment building on East Gun Hill Road, where police and the father went to shortly after.
The father, recognized his son's voice as he said he wasn't involved in a robbery. As officers were awaiting backup trying to keep Morales in the apartment, the gunman fired three shots near a window before trying to get away on foot yet again.
"The suspect fled through the open door, where he encountered officers positioned outside the door. A struggle ensued as officers attempted to take him into custody. One officer fell backwards and hit his head," said Philip Rivera, NYPD Chief of Patrol. "An officer then discharged her firearm, striking the perpetrator twice, once in the lower back and once in the right arm."
Police say they recovered a loaded gun in his bag, inside the Gun Hill Road apartment that the suspect allegedly fired before trying to get away.
Eyewitness News is told that Morales has a significant violent criminal history. Charges against him are still pending.
Morales is being treated at a local hospital for critical injures. The sergeant who fell backwards is also expected to make a full recovery.
The investigation is ongoing.
----------
* More Bronx news
* Send us a news tip
* Download the abc7NY app for breaking news alerts
* Follow us on YouTube