Police officer struck by a bullet while resting in his car near 25th Precinct on New Year's Day
EAST HARLEM, Manhattan (WABC) -- An off-duty police officer was struck by a bullet while in his car early New Year's Day.
The officer finished a late-night shift and was resting in his car on East 119th Street before starting his early morning shift.
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The officer woke up around 6:15 a.m. with pain in his head and observed his car window had been shattered.
He then walked into the 25th Precinct where other officers saw he was bleeding from an injury to his head.
The officer was then taken to New York Presbyterian Hospital to be treated.
Doctors say the bullet was "miraculously deflected," either by the car window or the officer's skull, and missed vital structures by millimeters.
"I told him, it's a good thing to have a hard head like Pat Lynch and Eric Adams," said Adams.
Newly appointed Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell joined mayor Eric Adams in front of the the hospital this afternoon.
"You don't start bringing in the new year with bringing in violence. It's unacceptable," said Adams.
Both Adams and Keechant repeated their promises to address gun violence and are taking this incident seriously.
"There are no stay bullets, there is someone firing that weapon," said Keechant.
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When asked why the officer was sleeping in his car, Adams said a lack of staffing due to covid has led to officers working more shifts.
Doctors had to perform surgery to remove bullet fragments from his head, according to police officials.
The officer is expected to make a full recovery.
Police are still investigating the matter and are offering a $10,000 reward.
Call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782).
You can also submit tips by visiting the CrimeStoppers website at crimestoppers.nypdonline.org or by messaging on Twitter @NYPDTips.
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