Suspects arraigned in Bronx shooting of NYPD officers, 1 officer released from hospital
BRONX, N.Y. (WABC) -- One of the two NYPD officers wounded in a shooting Monday night is headed home from the hospital.
Aliro Pellerano was released Wednesday from St. Barnabas Hospital. Pellerano, 38, was shot in the chest and arm, while Officer Andrew Dossi, 30, was struck in the arm and lower back.
The officers were rushed to St. Barnabas Hospital, where Dossi remains in stable condition.
Hundreds of fellow officers came to the hospital to give Pellerano a hero's welcome. "When we all rushed to this emergency room we thought it was for the worst, but here we are today when one of those officers walks out of this hospital into the arms of his blue family and his immediate family," said PBA President Pat Lynch.
Meanwhile two people, believed to be the gunman and a robbery accomplice, are were arraigned Wednesday in connection with the shooting in the Fordham section of the Bronx.
The incident happened around 10:30 p.m. at East 184th Street and Tiebout Avenue as the officers, who were part of a five-member plain clothes anti-crime team, were searching for suspects wanted in an armed robbery.
Near the corner of East 184th Street, authorities say the officers saw two possible suspects, identified as 24-year-old Jason Polanco and 28-year-old Joshua Kemp. As they approached them, Polanco reportedly entered a Chinese restaurant on Tiebout Avenue and ordered a Snapple while Kemp remained outside. The officers walked up to Kemp, and that's when they say Polanco opened fire on the officers, one of whom returned fire.
Police said Kemp was struck by the bullet fired through the window of the Chinese restaurant, which went through his right bicep and hit one of the officers.
The two suspects then fled on foot toward Marion Avenue, with Polanco allegedly firing two more shots at the officers before carjacking a white Camaro. Dossi and Pellerano were wounded in the exchange.
"We believe he dry fires after that because there are no more rounds in the gun," said Robert Boyce, NYPD chief of detectives.
Running out of bullets is crucial. It saved a 19-year-old's life.
"He was sitting in his car," the teen's mother said.
She does not want to be identified, but her son was carjacked by the man who fired at the police. One of them walked up to her son and he heard two clicks.
"At first he didn't know, he didn't understand it. They actually tried to shoot you. My baby they tried to shoot you if you heard the clicks. I think that's when it started to hit him, like 'Oh my God,'" she said.
He quickly gave up his car, which the carjacker later crashed and abandoned near East 188th Street and Park Avenue. A black revolver was also recovered nearby.
Polanco, of the Bronx, was taken into custody early Tuesday afternoon. He was being closely tracked by detectives, who had determined his daily routine after his name was provided by multiple tipsters who saw his picture and called CrimeStoppers.
Police said he was caught on security camera at the Chinese restaurant just before the officers were shot.
Kemp is believed to have shown up with a gunshot wound at Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center at 11 p.m. Monday. He has been in police custody at the hospital since then.
Police said Kemp initially told them he had been shot on Dyckman Street in Inwood, but his story quickly fell apart when police identified the guy that drove him to the hospital. Then, he reportedly gave up the entire story.
Kemp was treated before being moved to the Bronx Borough Detective Squad.
Polanco was remanded and charged with attempted murder of a police officer, attempted murder, robbery, criminal possession of a weapon and assault.
Kemp was charged with robbery, grand larceny, criminal possession of a weapon and criminal possession of stolen property. Bail was set at $200,000 (with examination of surety).
Kemp has 10 priors and is currently on parole for robbery.
Both suspects are due back in court on January 12th.
A third man, 26-year-old Elio Rivera, said to be a friend of the suspected gunman, was also taken into custody. But police say he had nothing to do with the robbery and was just walking with Polanco, who has three prior arrests for weapons possession and, according to his Instagram account, hateful things to say about police.
Detectives are attempting to link the two suspects to a string of nine holdups of grocery stores in the Bronx and upper Manhattan that occurred between Oct 11 and Nov 10.
The robberies currently in the pattern involve one or two suspects, sometimes wearing masks, who in many cases jump over the counter and steal money from the cash register.
The holdups were linked as part of a pattern based on the similarities of the robberies, times they occurred, and general vicinities of where they occurred.
The two officers live minutes apart in Rockland County and carpool daily to the Bronx.
Dossi, an eight-year veteran of the force, is an Army reservist who has done two tours in Iraq and was scheduled to go to North Africa next week. He has an 8-year-old daughter.
Eyewitness News spoke to Dossi's father, Joe, who visited his son at the hospital. He said his Andrew, who underwent surgery, was more concerned with the other officer who was shot and whether the suspects has been caught.
Pellerano has been on the force for nine years and has a son and a daughter, both of whom tweeted. His son wrote, "1 bullet won't slow you down," and his daughter wrote, "tomorrows gonna be so hard, good luck pops."
Mayor Bill de Blasio released the following statement:
"Last night a team of our officers displayed extraordinary bravery, going above and beyond the call to protect their fellow New Yorkers. We thank these officers for their commitment to serving our city, including answering the call after their shift had ended. Two of our officers - Officers Andrew Dossi and Aliro Pellerano - suffered wounds in the performance of their duties, and the hearts and prayers of a grateful city go out to those two fine men and their loved ones. The entire City of New York stands with these officers and their families as they recover from these injuries.
"This incident was yet another reminder of how profoundly important the work of our police officers is, as well as the seriousness of the dangers they face every day in the line of duty. We depend on them to keep this whole city safe, and they do it with great skill and professionalism. I also commend the investigators for their smart, thorough detective work as they pieced together the facts of the case, and everyday New Yorkers for providing more than two dozen tips to the Police Department - all of which helped bring suspects into custody earlier today."
