NEW YORK – An off-duty NYPD lieutenant is hospitalized and "lucky to be alive," and a suspect is dead, following a shootout in Queens early Thursday morning, police said.
Police said they were still searching for up to two or three people who may have been involved in the shooting at 57th Street and Northern Boulevard in Woodside.
Gunfire erupted just after 3 a.m. outside the La Boom nightclub, where a rap concert was happening.
NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea said it appears the off-duty NYPD lieutenant was at the nightclub. He exited the club and was confronted by "several armed individuals wearing masks."
The commissioner said police believe the group was "attempting to rob the officer of jewelry."
Moments later, shots rang out between the officer and at least one of the suspects, Shea said.
Police believe eight shots were fired by the officer and nine shots were fired by one or more suspects.
The officer and the suspect were found lying on the ground by responding officers.
"The remaining suspects fled the scene, possibly in a vehicle," Shea said.
The officer suffered multiple gunshot wounds and is “lucky to be alive,” Shea said. He was taken in critical but stable condition to Elmhurst Hospital, where the commissioner said he "was conscious" when he briefly interacted with him.
Lieutenants Benevolent Association president Lou Turco, who joined Shea at a morning news conference, said first responders and hospital staff saved the officer’s life.
“We saw the body camera, and this officer had minutes to live,” Turco said.
The suspect was shot in the chest and stomach and was pronounced dead at Elmhurst Hospital at 3:35 a.m. Shea said police have identified him and that he has one prior arrest for gang assault in the city.
A semiautomatic handgun with an extended magazine was recovered near the suspect, Shea said.
It seems many concertgoers weren’t even aware of the shooting until the concert was halted.
“They stopped the concert,” one woman said. “They said that there was some shooting going on outside. We didn’t know what was going on, so they stopped the concert and told everybody to leave.”
Dozens of members of the NYPD were still at the scene at daybreak Thursday as the investigation continued. Shea said they were canvassing the area for evidence and video.
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