Two New York City police officers shot, wounded; hunt on for suspects

New York: Two New York City police officers responding to a robbery in the Bronx were shot and wounded Monday night, and a manhunt was underway for at least two suspects, authorities said.

The officers were taken to a Bronx hospital with non-life threatening injuries. One officer was wounded in the arm, and the other was struck in the back, police said.

Deputy Chief Kim Royster, commanding officer of the public affairs unit, said the officers were not targeted by the gunman — unlike two officers shot to death about two weeks ago in their patrol car in Brooklyn — but had just come upon the scene.

Royster said a weapon was recovered but it wasn’t clear whether it belonged to the suspects. The shooting happened just after 10:30 p.m. Monday. Police said the officers may have been fired on by an assailant from a car after a car stop went awry, but the incident was still being investigated.

Officers Rafael Ramos and Wenjian Liu were gunned down in their patrol car Dec. 20 by a man who vowed online to kill “pigs.” The man opened fire, then ran into a subway where he shot himself to death. Ramos was buried Dec. 27; Liu was buried Sunday. Thousands of officers from around the country attended the funerals.

Associated Press