NEW YORK - The suspect in the shooting of two NYPD officers in the Bronx on the night before Thanksgiving faces multiple charges, including attempted murder.
Charlie Vasquez was charged Saturday with attempted murder, assault, and criminal use of a firearm, among other charges.
One officer, Alejandra Jacobs, was released from St. Barnabas Hospital on Thanksgiving Day, while the other, Robert Holmes, remains hospitalized.
Flanked by her #BlueFamily, our hero @NYPD48Pct sister P.O. Alejandra Jacobs heads home to recover her injuries from last night’s shooting. Her hero partner, P.O. Robert Holmes, remains in the hospital.
— NYC PBA (@NYCPBA) November 25, 2021
This is a Thanksgiving “tradition” we never want to repeat. pic.twitter.com/XHnuiKCoIJ
The shooting happened shortly after 8 p.m. in front of a building near East 187 Street and Beaumont Avenue in the Belmont section of the borough.
The officers encountered the suspect — whom the NYPD said matched the description of the man with the gun in the 911 call — on the front stoop of the building. He was taken into custody that night.
A male officer told him to take his hands out of his pocket and then a gunfight broke out, with Police Commissioner Dermot Shea saying body camera footage showed the suspect shot one officer in her right arm. She then returned fire an estimated five times. Her partner attempted to subdue the suspect.
The entire altercation lasted approximately two to three seconds, according to the police commissioner, with the suspect shot three times and the woman officer struck twice. The male officer, meanwhile, was shot in the back, Shea said, with the bullet entering his right armpit area and coming out of his chest. He did not shoot at the suspect.
Mayor Bill de Blasio went to the hospital and visited the officers, whom Shea said were in good spirits.
President of the Police Benevolent Association Pat Lynch spoke about the incident on Thanksgiving and called for legislative change from the incoming administration.
"We have to recognize how much our streets have deteriotated — where perps are not afraid to pull out a gun and use it," said Lynch.
"We have to now recognize that our elected officials made egregious mistakes by changing the laws that take away the fear on the streets. The public is tired. Our police officers are weary. We need now to do a reset," Lynch said.
Pat Lynch on the situation that led to our two @NYPD48Pct cops getting shot while trying to arrest a criminal with a gun:
— NYC PBA (@NYCPBA) November 25, 2021
The perps have no fear. No fear to carry guns and use them. No fear of the police.
It’s time for a reset. pic.twitter.com/SQlej2ExkQ