Officials: Gunman shot NYPD officers in Bronx and precinct in assassination attempts

A gunman with a lengthy criminal history shot an NYPD officer in the Bronx Saturday night, then entered a police precinct in the borough Sunday morning and opened fire, injuring a lieutenant in what officials called the second assassination attempt on cops in less than 12 hours.

The suspect, a Bronx man who had been convicted of attempted murder after a 2002 incident that ended in a gunfight with New York police, was paroled in 2017, Commissioner Dermot Shea said at a news conference Sunday at Lincoln Medical Center in the Bronx, where the injured officers were treated. Both cops are expected to make full recoveries, Shea said. 

“This was an attempt to assassinate police officers,” Mayor Bill de Blasio said at the news conference. “We need to use that word because it was a premeditiated effort to kill and not just to kill other human beings but to kill those who wear a uniform that represents all of us. 

“We have to understand this as a city, as a nation, our entire society has to understand an attack on a police officer is an attack on all of us, it’s an attack on a democratic society, a decent society,” de Blasio added. 

The NYPD had identified the alleged gunman as Robert Williams, 45, of Evergreen Avenue. 

He was charged with attempted murder, criminal possession of a weapon and resisting arrest, the NYPD said.

An official with the department said Sunday afternoon that police are questioning the girlfriend of the suspected shooter, but did not elaborate further.

“It is only by the grace of God and the heroic actions of those inside the building that took him into custody that we are not talking about police officers murdered in a New York City police precinct,” Shea said.

The shooting inside the 41st Precinct on Longwood Avenue occurred about 12 hours after the suspect shot at two officers as they sat in a marked police van at 906 Simpson St., officials said. One officer, Paul Stroffolino, 31, was grazed in the chin and neck. He was treated at Lincoln Medical Center and released just after noon Sunday, a large white bandage visible on his neck. 

Stroffolino and NYPD officer Brian Hamplin, partners for eight years and friends since middle school, were sitting in the van with the emergency lights activated when the suspect approached, Shea said. The man asked for directions, then pulled out a gun, firing multiple shots. Stroffolino, who was behind the wheel, drove off while the gunman ran off. Hamlin drove Stroffolino to the hospital, police said. 

The officers had been stationed in the neighborhood within the 41st Precinct because of recent drug activity and violence, Shea said.

Stroffolino left Lincoln Medical Center just after noon Sunday in a wheelchair as dozens of police officers and Shea applauded. The applause grew louder as bagpipes played and the officer climbed into a black car with his wife. An NYPD patrol vehicle escorted the car from the hospital.

The suspect entered the 41st Precinct on Longwood Avenue just before 8 a.m. Sunday, Shea said, pulled out a gun and fired multiple rounds at several uniformed officers near the front desk area. He then walked into an area adjacent to the desk and fired several rounds at point-blank range at cops and a civilian employee, the commissioner said. None of those people were hit, Shea said. 

At some point a male lieutenant was hit in the upper left arm. The lieutenant returned fire but did not hit the suspect, Shea said. 

“I will point out that this coward immediately lay down but only after he ran out of bullets,” Shea added. He did not immediately release the name of the injured lieutenant. 

The mayor praised the 41st Precinct cops who apprehended the suspect.

“These officers handled such a horrific situation with heroism, with extraordinary skill,” de Blasio said. “Thank God each and every one of them will be OK.”

The commissioner said Williams has a lengthy criminal record. He shot an individual in the Bronx in 2002, carjacked a vehicle from a woman, crashed that car, then got into a gunfight with NYPD officers. Shea said the alleged gunman was convicted of attempted murder and paroled in 2017.  

Law enforcement sources said he had three felony convictions.

The commissioner and the mayor criticized anti-police rhetoric, including a recent protest in Manhattan by demonstrators who objected to the presence of police officers in subway. Shea said the anger vented by those protesters reminded him of 2014, when officers Rafael Ramos and Wenjian Liu were shot dead in their patrol vehicle in Brooklyn by a man upset about recent police killings of unarmed black men. 

“Everyone should be speaking out against this, and you have to be careful about the words you use whether it’s on social media or on written papers or speaking because words matter and words affect people’s behavior,” Shea said. “And here we have New York City police officers, twice in 12 hours, targeted. And again, by the grace of God, that we’re not planning a funeral.”

The mayor also spoke out against anti-police rhetoric. “Anyone who spews hatred at our police officers is aiding and abetting this kind of atmosphere,” de Blasio said. “It is not acceptable.”

New York Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo said in a tweet Sunday that he was “horrified by the multiple attacks” on NYPD officers. 

“NY’s law enforcement officers put their lives on the line every day to keep us safe," Cuomo tweeted. "These attacks are heinous.”

Long Island police union leaders also expressed outrage. 

“With the hatred and rhetoric against law enforcement we have seen in New York City in recent weeks, it is not surprising it has inspired people to carry out acts of violence against the men and women in blue,” Nassau County Police Benevolent Association President James McDermott said. 

“These officers were targeted simply because of the uniform they wear,” Suffolk PBA president Noel DiGerolamo said. “We will be closely monitoring the extremely alarming circumstances in New York City and encourage our officers to remain vigilant for their safety.”

Pat Lynch, president of the NYPD PBA, said the city had become less safe as a result of the bail reform law that went into effect on Jan. 1, as well as other new criminal justice laws. When it was pointed out that bail  was not a factor in this suspect’s case because he had not yet been arrested, Lynch said New York state needs to embark on parole reform as well.  “The city is sliding and it is sliding rapidly,” Lynch said. 

President Donald Trump, meanwhile, had harsh words for Cuomo and de Blasio in a tweet Sunday morning about the shootings.

"I grew up in New York City and, over many years, got to watch how GREAT NYC’s “Finest” are," Trump tweeted. "Now, because of weak leadership at Governor & Mayor, stand away (water thrown at them) regulations, and lack of support, our wonderful NYC police are under assault. Stop this now!"

Shea declined to comment on Trump’s tweet.

With Anthony M. DeStefano