Cop Involved In ShopRite Scuffle, Firearm Discharge ID'd As Assistant NYPD Chief

HAVERSTRAW, NY — A fraught scene at a Hudson Valley supermarket involving an off-duty cop ended safely, despite a firearm being discharged, according to Town of Haverstraw police.

The Town of Haverstraw Police Department says that on Sunday, around 7:45 p.m., officers responded to the Shoprite located on West Ramapo Road, in Garnerville, after receiving a report of a fight in progress in the parking lot.

At the scene, police found two men on the Rosman Road side of the building. Both men received minor, non-life-threatening injuries during the fight, according to police. They were both taken to area hospitals for evaluation, and then treated and released.

Investigators said one of the men involved was an off-duty member of the NYPD, and had a legally owned handgun at the time of the fight.

That officer has been identified by the NYPD as Assistant Chief Benjamin Gurley, one of the NYPD’s top Bronx commanders, according to a report from Patch's Ainsley Martinez.

Gurley, a 26-year NYPD veteran, oversees the department's newly created Bronx North command.

The Haverstraw Police Department is leading the criminal investigation. The NYPD's Force Investigation Division and Internal Affairs Bureau also opened inquiries into the incident, an NYPD spokesperson said Monday.

Police say that during the argument, the firearm was removed from his waistband, resulting in one round being discharged from the weapon. The round did not strike either man or any bystanders.

Police also discovered that the dispute may have arisen after the other man harassed the NYPD member's daughter, according to initial witness statements. Police said that while the daughter and the other man are acquaintances, they have never been in any type of domestic relationship.

The Town of Haverstraw Police Department says that it is investigating the incident along with the Rockland County District Attorney's Office.

Anyone with information about the incident is being urged to contact the Town of Haverstraw Police Department Detective Bureau at 845-354-1500.