According to police, two NYPD sergeants were shot on Manhattan’s Lower East Side while they tried to arrest a gunman shortly after he had robbed a mahjong parlour on Thursday.
The officers, who both survived the encounter, were responding to a 911 call about someone named Joshua Dorsett, aged 22, who went into the parlor and forcibly took several ladies purses at gun point. A few minutes later, Dorsett was seen by officers near Delancey Street.
When the police arrested Dorsett and they attempted to take his weapon away from him, Dorsett discharged it and hit both sergeants with one bullet. One officer got shot in the groin and taken to Bellevue Hospital where he is still being observed in stable condition. The other officer who was grazed by the bullet will be released later this evening.
Dorsett was apprehended there. He is a local gang member with previous criminal convictions for drug offenses; at that time of the robbery he had been on probation meeting his parole officer earlier that day
The incident has left those living nearby traumatised as witnesses described how chaos and fear broke out as gunshots rang out. Speaking to reporters Mayor Eric Adams expressed gratitude for brave injured officers while also condemning violence along with New York City Police Department(NYPD) top officials.
The armed robbery as well as shooting have led to further discussions regarding public safety issues in addition to various problems faced by law enforcement agencies within the city.
