NYPD officer shot in hip in Jamaica, Queens; suspect sought

The NYPD was on the scene investigating for seven hours with much of the neighborhood blocked off.

The officer was shot in the hip near 161st Street and Jamaica Avenue.

The NYPD says the wounded cop was rushed to Jamaica Hospital by his fellow officers. Witness video shows a state trooper blocking traffic to clear a path for the NYPD after the shooting.

The officer, just three months into the job, is now in stable condition.

David Maldonado says he heard the shots just before 3:30 p.m., then saw the terror of bystanders.

“It was like this, pow pow pow, pow four shots,” he said. “They were screaming they were running. covering themselves to not get shot.”

The NYPD says it all started when a man got into a dispute over a seat on an MTA bus with another passenger. The bus driver flagged down two officers, and when they approached the bus, police say the man pushed an officer and ran away.

Investigators say when an officer caught up with that man, he shot the officer in the hip, then took off. The NYPD says another officer then fired two shots, and it’s not clear if the suspect was hit.

“We are going to need your assistance in identifying and apprehending this offender. He should be considered armed and dangerous,” NYPD Commissioner Keechant Sewell said.

Police say after the shooting, he fled to a nearby parking garage, ditched some of his clothes, then took off. He was last seen near 161st Street and Hillside Avenue.

“An over proliferation of guns, and too many people are willing to use it repeatedly, and that is why the extreme recidivists must be identified and removed from our streets,” Mayor Eric Adams said.

Adams and Sewell praised the wounded officer after visiting him and his parents at the hospital.

“The mom whispered in my ear, she stated, ‘I recall at the graduation ceremony how you talked about, your mother exhaled for the first time after you retired.’ She’s still holding her breath,” Adams said.

We’ve learned the officer’s father is also an NYPD officer.

The department says a $10,000 reward is being offered as they search for the suspect.