(Getty)
A federal task force involving U.S. Marshals and an NYPD detective got into a deadly shootout with a sex offender from California outside of a West Village smoke shop on the afternoon of July 28, reports NBC New York.
Here’s what you need to know:
1. The Attack Happened on a Busy Manhattan Street
177 West 4th Street. (Google Street View)
The shooting happened in the busy area around West 4th Street. The Marshals and the NYPD officer were attempting to arrest a suspect. According to the New York Post, the gunfire broke out at 177 West 4th Street. The business located at that address is the Smoking Culture smoke shop.
2. The Suspect Is Dead
2 US marshalls and police officer shot in West Village. Scene on West 4th Street @cdellaverson pic.twitter.com/8i9AGjXSWz
— Karen Russo (@KKRusso) July 28, 2014
A suspect was also shot during the incident, he died a short time later, reports CBS New York. One witness, Jason Smith, told DNA Info:
[The suspect] didn’t look like he was going to make it. He was all pale. He looked like he was probably dead already.
3. The Officers are Expected to Survive
CBS New York reports that the officers are all in stable condition at Bellevue Hospital. ABC New York reports that one marshal was shot in the stomach and another in the back. The NYPD officer was shot in the stomach. NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio said “We pray everything we are hearing is true and that these officers will be OK in the long run.”
4. The Marshals Were Searching For a Sex Offender
NYPD Commissioner Bill Bratton. (Getty)
The NYPD officer was with the Fugitive Task Force. The Daily News reports that the suspect they were searching for was a sex offender. NYPD Commissioner Bill Bratton said:
The three members who have been wounded were members of a U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force, led by the U.S. Marshals office, part of a national effort that we have NYPD officers assigned.
DNA Info reports that the suspect was wanted in California for sex related crimes.
5. People Are Advised to Avoid the Area
The scene around Jones Street and West 4th in the immediate aftermath of the shooting. (Screengrab via NBC New York)
The NYPD are redirecting traffic in the area.