NYPD Officer Assigned to Thwart Gun Violence Shot by Gang Member

A New York City Police Department (NYPD) lieutenant assigned to help stop gun violence in the Bronx was shot in the ankle during a struggle with a gang member, Commissioner Dermot Shea said Saturday.

The incident occurred prior to midnight when police responding to a 911 call near Lyman Place and East 169th Street noticed a man they believed was carrying a weapon and went to investigate, Shea explained during the morning press conference, the New York Post reported.

“But the suspect, identified by sources as reputed gang member Jerome Roman, 26, took off when he spotted the officers get out of the unmarked police car, prompting a brief chase,” the article read.

The four officers caught up to the suspect and amid a “violent struggle,” he allegedly fired a shot, hitting the lieutenant in the ankle.

“It is a through and through wound which then strikes a nearby parked car. The firearm was eventually recovered. This struggle took approximately five to eight minutes,” Shea told reporters:

The individual was safely taken into custody with no injuries. Our lieutenant and officers were all removed here to Jacobi hospital. Thankfully the lieutenant was treated and released and is expected to make a full recovery. The other three officers were removed here for minor bumps and bruises and likewise, we are very lucky that they are okay. The firearm recovered is a 9mm Smith & Wesson which when recovered, contained 12 live rounds and one shell casing which was stovepiped in it, causing the gun not to be able to fire any more rounds.

Roman, an alleged member of the Lyman Place Bosses, has 25 prior arrests that include eight felonies and 17 misdemeanors, according to the Post.

“He was nabbed in November for criminal possession of a semi-automatic pistol and has another weapons charge from August 2016, along with a sealed, ‘gang-related’ murder arrest from December 2014, law enforcement sources said. His criminal history includes charges for menacing, gang assault, and other offenses,” the outlet stated.

Almost all of Roman’s arrests reportedly took place in the 42nd Precinct.

Bronx shootings have risen 56 percent in 2021 under the leadership of New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio (D), Breitbart News reported Thursday.

“The number of shooting victims in the Bronx is up 51 percent compared to 2020,” the outlet said.