The policeman who was wounded by a bullet with a co-worker Wednesday in the Bronx, was discharged from the hospital. They are both at home now.
Officer Robert Holmes was greeted with applause from dozens of New York City Police Department officers as he left a Bronx medical center on Friday, the day after uniformed Alejandra Jacobs was discharged.
Police said Holmes, who has been in the force for about eight years, and Jacobs, who joined the police department a year ago, responded to a report of a gunman in Beaumont Avenue Wednesday night. Upon arrival, they encountered the suspect and were immediately faced with gunfire, Commissioner Dermot Shea said at a news conference after the shooting.
According to police, Jacobs was shot twice in the arm and then opened fire on the suspect. Holmes was shot in the armpit, police said.
Officer Jacobs was released from St. Barnabas Hospital on Thanksgiving morning to a wave of support from her peers. She was grateful for leaving the hospital more than 12 hours after the incident.
“I’m fine. Happy Thanksgiving,” he said.
Shea said the New York City Police Department is lucky the situation hasn’t gotten worse.
“We are very lucky tonight. If you remember, it was the last New Year’s Eve exactly a year ago, when two officers were shot at Barracks 105, and they were discharged the next day. Looks like we’re on that road again. here tonight, “Shea said.
“Extraordinary courage tonight. We watched the video, we saw officers doing their job, protecting the people of this city with incredible courage,” said New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio. “And then, on the visit to his hospital room, two people of extraordinary spirit. Officers who are in this job because they want to protect people, they want to save lives.
A video obtained by our sister network NBC 4 shows part of the moment of the events a few seconds after a person called 9-1-1 and alerted police to the suspect.
The footage shows the moment when Jacobs and Holmes encountered the alleged gunman sitting on a stairway in Beaumont Avenue which, according to the police, matched the description of the suspect.
Shea said officers asked him to remove his hands from the suspect’s pockets. He then allegedly stood up, drew his gun, and fired. Shea added that Jacobs shot the suspect three times while Holmes threw him to the ground.
After the shooting, the suspect was also transported to Saint Barnabas Hospital, and was in serious condition. He underwent surgery and was expected to recover, police said.
A senior police official with knowledge of the investigation identified him as Charlie Vasquez, 23, of Brooklyn. The official said Vasquez has nine previous arrests on his record. Vasquez was arrested Saturday on attempted murder and other charges.
It was not immediately clear when he would be prosecuted or if he had an attorney who could speak to the allegations.
A black semi-automatic firearm, a 0.9mm pistol, was recovered at the scene. Police say it was a weapon stolen in Georgia.
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