BROWNSVILLE, Brooklyn — A suspect and a neighbor were both killed, and a responding NYPD officer was shot in the face — all apparently stemming from a dispute between neighbors.
The 25-year-old officer, who was wounded, left the hospital Monday afternoon just hours after being struck when a gunman opened fire from inside a Brownsville apartment building.
According to the NYPD, the suspect killed a man during the dispute and then opened fire on the officer when police arrived to investigate.
The incident unfolded on Thomas Boyland Street shortly before 6 a.m. Monday.
A camera across the street recorded someone getting out of a car and walking toward the doorway of 1046 Thomas Boyland St., where another person stood waiting with a shotgun.
A loud shot rang out, followed by another. The echoes jolted neighbors awake.
“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 later found the victim, 41-year-old Leroy Wallace, lying on the ground. Officers secured the area and collected a shell casing from the vestibule, unaware that the gunman was still inside the building.
Around 7:45 a.m., officials say the man with the shotgun opened the door of a first-floor apartment and fired at Officer Sharjeel Worris, hitting him in the face with birdshot pellets.
Officers fired back, hitting 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 a few blocks from the shooting.
He was able to speak with Tisch, who said he 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 applause from 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:
Officers initially believed the suspect had barricaded himself inside the apartment. They later used a drone and discovered he had died from a gunshot wound, with his shotgun lying beside him.
Officials have not yet released the suspect’s identity but say he had no prior criminal record.
What remains a mystery is why the shooter opened fire on his neighbor returning home.
Landlord John Bell says there was no known tension between the two men. He spoke with the victim’s brother, who also lives in the building.
“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 stunned as well.
“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 saw part of what happened and told neighbors she couldn’t understand why any of it occurred.
Two additional officers were treated for injuries after crashing near the scene. They are expected to recover.
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