Suspect Shot In Leg, Officer Suffers Spinal Injury: YPD

YONKERS, NY — A man was shot in the leg and a police officer was seriously injured following a report a man was waving a gun in a downtown Yonkers apartment building, Yonkers Police Commissioner John Mueller has confirmed this evening.

Police were called to the third floor of a residential building on Main Street shortly after noon on Monday, according to officials. The 24-year-old suspect, who was shot in the calf, lives in the building. The confrontation with police happened in the hallway of the building, not in a private residence, officials said.

It remains unclear if the suspect fired a weapon, Mueller told reporters.

Mueller said that a gun was not recovered at the scene and that investigators have secured the scene but are waiting for a search warrant to search the suspect's apartment and hallway to collect evidence.

Police officials said there are still a lot of unanswered questions about the circumstances that led to the officer's injuries and the shooting of a suspect. Mueller said that bodycam footage, ballistic evidence and forensic evidence will begin to shed light on how the situation developed.

"What we do know is that the officers responded to a call of a man with a gun," Mueller said at a media briefing Monday evening. "We know that we have, again, an individual who sustained a gunshot wound to his calf and we have an officer who is now in the hospital with, in ICU, with four broken vertebrae and a concussion."

Mueller said he is insisting on full transparency as the investigation proceeds. Police have already released the 911 call that brought police to the residence on a report of a man waving a gun. Officials said the initial 911 emergency call was placed from the suspect's phone but could not confirm that the suspect was the person speaking.

"The plan is we have conferred with the Westchester District Attorney, and they are going to conduct a joint investigation alongside of Yonkers Police Department," Mueller said. "So we're going to have DAs and DA's investigators embedded in the investigation so we can make sure that we don't leave any stone unturned and that we find out exactly what happened."

Mueller said that the injured officer is sedated in the ICU with four broken neck vertebrae and a concussion. He was hurt when he reportedly jumped over a railing and fell to the second floor landing 10 feet below, presumably because he thought he was in grave danger.

A spinal surgery expert is being consulted.

The as yet unidentified officer is a more-than-20-year veteran of the force. He worked in the Getty Square area for a long portion of his career, working with the homeless and mentally ill population in the area.

Four other officers are being checked for trauma now and will be interviewed about the incident, according to police officials.

Mueller said he was happy both the officers and the wounded suspect survived the encounter.