SOUTH OZONE PARK, Queens — The husband of an NYPD officer is in custody after apparently holding his wife hostage in their Queens home and then opening fire on responding officers Tuesday morning, according to police.
Police received a 911 call around 8:40 a.m. for an off-duty officer needing assistance at a South Ozone Park home on 133rd Avenue, according to NYPD Chief of Department Rodney Harrison at a press briefing.
An officer’s husband was armed and was apparently holding her against her will in the home, according to officials.
When responding patrol officers knocked on the front door, they engaged in conversation with the suspect, who threatened to shoot them, Harrison said.
The officers backed down and called for backup from the department’s Emergency Service Unit.
ESU officers arrived minutes later. While attempting to continue the conversation with the suspect, he fired multiple times at the officers, according to Harrison. However, no officers were injured.
While her husband was engaged in the standoff with police, the off-duty officer was able to escape the home by jumping from the second-floor window, authorities said.
Harrison said it appeared she may have broken her leg in the jump.
The suspect fired his weapon again, this time in the direction of the off-duty officer, as well as the uniformed ESU personnel, police said.
The officers returned fire, wounding the husband once in the right arm and causing him to retreat back inside the window, Harrison said.
According to the chief, the suspect’s brother arrived on the scene and worked with officers from the hostage negotiation team, as well as Detective Brenda Reddick from the 106th Precinct, who was continuing the dialogue with the gunman.
The suspect soon voluntarily came to the door and was placed under arrest, Harrison said, crediting Reddick as the reason for why the situation came to an end when it did.
Both the suspect and victim, his off-duty officer wife, were hospitalized for treatment of their injuries.
The charges against the husband had not yet been announced Tuesday morning.
Watch the NYPD’s press briefing in full below:
The local NYPD precinct tweeted asking the public to avoid the area of 130th Street and 133rd Avenue as they continue the investigation.
