The Associated Press
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) - A police officer grievously wounded last month on a domestic disturbance call was shot by his partner, officials have revealed.
Officer William McGarry, shot Sept. 26, remains unconscious and on a ventilator from his wounds.
His partner, Officer Stevens Gelu, fired his 9mm Remington handgun three to five times, aiming for the suspect, who wasn’t hit, said police spokesman Sgt. Andy Pallen.
The suspect, John Yanosik, met the two officers at the door with a gun and investigators found eight shell casings from his 9mm Star handgun on his balcony. But all those shots had been fired before the officers arrived, Pallen said.
Gelu hasn’t been charged and the case was turned over to the Broward State Attorney’s Office, The Miami Herald reported. Police said earlier that Gelu might have shot his partner by accident, but then declined to discuss the case until Tuesday’s announcement.
McGarry, a 22-year department veteran, has undergone four surgeries at Broward General Medical Center. Surgeons extracted a bullet from McGarry’s torso.
Yanosik was charged with aggravated assault for waving his gun at a police officer, Pallen said. The officers were initially called because Yanosik was allegedly shooting his gun on his balcony and yelling racial slurs at passers-by.