New York City Mayor Eric Adams holds body armor that stopped a bullet from seriously wounding Officer Richard Yarusso early Monday.NYPD Press Conference Video Screenshot
Two NYPD officers were shot while confronting a suspect on a moped while investigating a robbery pattern in East Elmhurst, Queens.
It happened at 1:40 a.m. Monday in East Elmhurst. The officers were wounded after chasing down a robbery suspect on a moped. After he took off on foot, investigators say he turned and fired on them. They returned fire and struck him in the foot before he was arrested, ABC7 reports.
Officer Christopher Abreu, 26, was shot in the leg. He's a five-year veteran of the force.
Officer Richard Yarusso, 26, was hit by a bullet in his vest and grazed in the stomach. He has just two and a half years on the job.
Mayor Eric Adams held up the bulletproof vest during a press conference Monday morning, showing reporters where the bullet hit that officer.
"This is a bullet hole because of this vest a young police officer is going home. Senseless act of violence, a total disregard for life," Adams said. "Our officers responded with a level of discipline focus professionalism and today we thank God."
The suspect has been identified by law enforcement as Bernardo Raul Castro Mato, 19, a Venezuelan migrant who entered the U.S. through Eagle Pass, Texas, in July 2023. His last known address was a migrant shelter at a hotel in Queens. He was wounded in the gunfight and taken into custody.
