JAMAICA, Queens (PIX11) — A suspect accused of shooting a rookie NYPD police officer in Queens was held without bail at his arraignment Friday afternoon.
Devin Spraggins, 22, of Queens, was charged with two counts of attempted murder in connection with Wednesday afternoon’s shooting.
Officer Brett Boller’s fellow officers packed the Queens courtroom to hear the charges read against Spraggins. The prosecutor requested Spraggins be remanded, telling the judge that Spraggins had been on the run since June 2022 after a bench warrant was issued in Poughkeepsie, New York. The assistant district attorney also said Spraggins was a youthful offender for rape in the first degree.
PBA President Pat Lynch said outside of court, “This is a potential cop killer. He tried to kill a New York City police officer. Thank God he didn’t succeed.”
Boller is from Hauppauge, Long Island. He joined the NYPD nine months ago and has been assigned to the 103rd precinct since January.
He remains hospitalized, and Lynch said he was once again undergoing surgery Friday afternoon. Prosecutors said doctors are working hard to try and save his leg.
Around 3:20 p.m. Wednesday, an MTA bus driver flagged down officers near 161st Street and 90th Avenue in Jamaica to report a fight between two passengers over a seat, police previously said.
When the officers approached the bus, one passenger pushed past them and took off running, officials said. Boller caught up with the man, identified as Spraggins, after a short chase. The two engaged in a struggle that ended with Boller shot once in the hip, authorities said.
Video obtained by PIX11 News shows how chaotic and urgent the scene in Queens was after Boller was shot.
Another cop fired two shots at the man as he once again fled, but he escaped unharmed, officials said. During his flight, the man ditched his jacket, orange sweatshirt, and mask in a parking garage, police said.
First responders rushed Boller, also 22, to an area hospital. He underwent surgery and was listed in what authorities described as stable condition.
After the shooting, Spraggins got into a Lyft near 161st Street and Hillside Avenue, investigators determined after tracking the vehicle’s path to a home on 215th Street.
Police obtained a search warrant for the home, though Spraggins was gone by the time they executed it Thursday evening, officials said. They did, however, recover a pair of sneakers believed to have been worn by Spraggins during the incident, as well as leads pointing them to another home in the Bronx, authorities said.
Searching that home hours later, the Regional Fugitive Task Force took Spraggins into custody without incident, police said, noting that they also found a 9mm handgun. A 9mm shell casing was found at the scene of the shooting, officials said. Ballistic testing is underway.
NYPD officials described Spraggins as “a transient,” with ties to both boroughs, as well as Poughkeepsie and Georgia.
