NYPD rookie Officer Brett Boller of Hauppauge shot, stable at hospital, family says
A rookie NYPD officer, on the job for only three months, was shot and wounded Wednesday afternoon in Jamaica, Queens, NYPD officials said.
The 22-year-old officer, identified by an uncle as Brett Boller of Hauppauge, was shot in the right hip while chasing a suspect on 161st Street, NYPD Commissioner Keechant Sewell said during an evening news conference at Jamaica Hospital Medical Center, where the cop underwent surgery. He is expected to survive.
“He was where our communities tell us they want their officers to be — standing a foot post,” Sewell said of the officer, who works out of the 103rd Precinct.
“He was flagged down by a community member who needed help,” Sewell said. “He was taking police action and then he was shot.”
Edward Boller of Florida said late Wednesday that his nephew was out of surgery.
“They’re optimistic but I don’t want to comment more as we don’t have too many details at this point,” Boller told Newsday.
NYPD released an image of this individual wanted for questioning regarding the shooting of Officer Brett Boller on Wednesday. Credit: NYPD
NYPD Chief of Detectives James Essig said that at about 3:20 p.m. an MTA bus driver flagged down two police officers at 161st Street and Jamaica Avenue to inform them about a man engaged in a dispute with another passenger about a seat.
When the officers approached the bus, the suspect exited through the front door, pushing one of the cops and fled onto 161st Street, Essig said.
After one of the officers caught up with the suspect, a brief struggle ensued and the perpetrator fired one shot, striking Boller in the hip, Essig said.
The second police officer returned fire twice but the suspect fled north on 161st Street then west on 88th Avenue into a parking garage, according to Essig. Inside the garage, authorities recovered a black bubble jacket, black mask and orange sweatshirt the suspect was wearing, Essig said.
Video of the shooting’s aftermath viewed by Newsday shows the wounded uniformed officer on his back, surrounded by officers administering first aid. They then lift him into a police vehicle. A civilian in the video retrieves what appears to be the officer’s hat and gives it to another cop.
Video also shows the suspect exiting the garage wearing a white T-shirt and black pants, Essig said. The suspect was last seen at 161st Street and Hillside Avenue.
“We are interviewing witnesses who were brought back to the precinct,” Essig said. “It’s unknown if the perpetrator was struck at this time.”
Mayor Eric Adams said the injured officer’s father is a member of the NYPD.
“Our officers run toward gunshots when others run away,” Adams said. “That is what happened today.”
In February, Adeed Fayaz, a 26-year-old off-duty NYPD officer from Deer Park, was shot in the head during a robbery attempt in Brooklyn and later died from his injuries.
Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to contact 800-COP-SHOT. A $10,000 reward is available.
With Anthony M. DeStefano
Robert Brodsky is a breaking news reporter who has worked at Newsday since 2011. He is a Queens College and American University alum.
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