The Associated Press
NEW YORK (AP) -- A police officer remained hospitalized in stable condition Monday after he was shot with his own gun by a car theft suspect in the Bronx, authorities said.
The suspect in the shooting, Thomas Cipolla, 28, of Shoreham, N.Y., was killed by police as he stood over two officers while brandishing a gun, the New York Police Department said.
At about 1:20 p.m. Sunday, police spotted a black Lexus that was reported stolen last month in Suffolk County. The car was involved in an accident at East Tremont Avenue and 177th Street, and the driver fled the scene when police investigated, authorities said.
The suspect went to a nearby building, where Officers Gilbert Noa and Leonardo Ortiz tried to grab him. A struggle ensued in front of the building, and the two policemen and the suspect fell to the ground.
The suspect grabbed Noa’s gun and fired, hitting him in the right hand and abdomen, just below his bulletproof vest, said Detective Cheryl Crispin, a police department spokeswoman.
Other officers responding to the incident ordered the suspect to stop, but he stood over Noa and Gilbert and appeared ready to fire again, police said.
The responding officers fired, striking the suspect in the torso. He died later at a hospital.
Noa was taken to a hospital in serious condition. Ortiz was not physically injured.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg said it appeared that the police officers’ use of force was justified.