Oct 22, 2008 6:09 am US/Eastern
NYPD: Suspect Shot 2 Cops With Officer's Gun
Nearby Lieutenant Heard Commotion, Took Down Gunman
All F-Line Trains Near Queensbridge Station Shut Down
NEW YORK (CBS) ―
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Police escort to an ambulance the injured suspect accused of shooting two officers inside a Queens subway station.
CBS
Two NYPD officers and a man were shot during a struggle in a Queens subway station on Tuesday evening. Police said the whole thing began when cops caught the man illegally using a discount MetroCard.
It was at the height of rush hour when almost a dozen gunshots rang out at the Queensbridge station, shots that sent the suspect and both officers to the hospital.
"This could have been so much worse," Mayor Michael Bloomberg said. "In some senses these officers were lucky. Unlucky they got shot but lucky that they both will recover fully."
Police said Officers Shane Farina and Jason Maass were part of a fare evasion team. At about 5:15 p.m. they approached a suspect by the name of Raul Nunez, who had just used a student MetroCard he wasn't authorized to use. He fought with the two officers during the arrest attempt.
"During the struggle, one of the officer's guns came loose," NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly said. "Nunez grabbed it, stood up, and fired at both officers while they were on the ground."
Farina and Maass, who are plainclothes transit officers, were wearing bulletproof vests protecting their chests, police said. Farina, who was shot near his sternum and suffered a fractured rib, was in critical but stable condition at Elmhurst Hospital on Tuesday night. Maass, who was shot in the lower back, was in stable condition with bullet fragments in his pelvic area.
Now armed with an officer's weapon, the suspect ran up the escalator but was met by Lt. Gary Abrahall.
"Nunez fired three shots at the lieutenant. Lieutenant Aberhall fired six shots, striking Nunez four times," Kelly said.
Police said Nunez was hit in the legs and chest and will survive.
Farina, 38, joined the police department four years ago. Maass, 28, has been an officer with the department since 2006.
As for why Nunez reacted the way he did, Kelly said he may have been worrying about his legal status.
"Apparently he's a citizen of the Dominican Republic and may have been deported in 2001 and re-entered the country illegally," Kelly said.
All F-line trains are bypassing the station as a result of the shooting and the station itself is shut down as police investigate. Police have asked the MTA to shut off power on the F-line at the station so they can enter the tracks to search for evidence.
A vast segment of streets have been closed around the perimeter.
Stay with wcbstv.com and CBS 2 HD for the latest in this developing story.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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