The 25-year-old wounded officer was released from the hospital Monday afternoon hours after he was struck when a gunman opened fire from inside an apartment building in Brownsville.
The NYPD says the suspect killed a man during a dispute and when police came to investigate, he opened fire on the officer.
It happened on Thomas Boyland Street just before 6 a.m. Monday.
A camera recording across the street captured a person getting out of a car walking toward the doorway of 1046 Thomas Boyland St., where someone is waiting with a shotgun.
A loud shot is fired, and then a second. The two loud blasts woke neighbors.
"Everybody tried to stay inside because we didn't know where was being shot at to begin with," said a neighbor named Mo. "And on top of it, everybody was scared to get hit by a stray bullet."
Police would find the body of the victim, 41-year-old Leroy Wallace, on the ground. The arriving officers secured the scene and collected a shell casing from the vestibule, not knowing the gunman was still in the building.
It was then, at around 7:45 a.m., that officials say the man with the shotgun opened a first-floor apartment door and fired at Officer Sharjeel Worris, shooting him in the face with birdshot pellets from a shotgun.
Officers returned fire, striking the suspect.
"Our cop returns fire, the perp barricades himself back inside of the apartment," NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said.
"More police had to rush to the scene, because then it was being reported a cop got hurt," Mo said.
Worris was rushed to Brookdale University Hospital in the back of a police cruiser, just blocks away from the shooting scene.
He was able to talk to Tisch, who said the officer was in "good spirits" at the hospital.
"He came within inches of losing his life," said Patrick Hendry, NYC PBA President.
Worris was released from the hospital at noon to the applause of his fellow officers.
"Make no mistake, this could've ended very differently, what happened this morning is a reminder how quickly danger finds the men and women who protect this city," Tisch said.
Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani commented on the shooting on social media:
It was believed the suspect was barricaded inside the apartment. Officers later used a drone to determine the suspect had died from a gunshot wound, and saw his shotgun laying beside him.
Officials have not yet identified the suspect but say he had no prior criminal history.
What's still a mystery is why the shooter would fire at his neighbor coming home.
Landlord John Bell says by all accounts there was no bad blood between the two. He spoke with the victim's brother, who also lives there.
"He's in shock that his brother got killed and they didn't know that the killer was still in the building," Bell said.
Neighbors are also in shock.
"He was always friendly. The guy who did it, he was not. He would just go in his car. He always had this black duffle bag," said one neighbor.
The shooter is described as a young army veteran. He lived with his sister, who witnessed part of this and told neighbors she didn't understand why any of it happened.
Two other police officers were treated for injuries after they got into a crash near the scene. They are expected to recover.
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