Harlem man survives being shot 21 times by NYPD

Brett Michael Dykes
·National Affairs Reporter

Yes, apparently a person can be shot 21 times and live to tell the tale — not that it's the sort of achievement that anyone is going to run out to emulate. Over the weekend, a Harlem man survived what some are calling a record number of bullet wounds and is now recovering at a New York City hospital.

Early Sunday, a fight broke out at a party in Harlem that spilled into the street. According to the police officers who arrived at the scene, Angel Alvarez was seen fatally shooting Luis Soto. When Alvarez turned his weapon on the officers, a fierce firefight broke out. More than 50 bullets were fired, almost all of them by the police. At least 21 of those bullets pierced Alvarez's body.

Luckily for Alvarez — whose criminal record includes at least eight prior arrests — none of the bullets hit his brain, heart or major arteries. His family members say that even though his arms, legs and torso were riddled with ammunition, Alvarez is "doing all right" and talking. It's believed he'll survive. A forensics expert told the New York Daily News' Simone Weichselbaum and Virginia Breen that Alvarez is probably the new holder of a somewhat dubious record.

"I would say more than 20 gunshot wounds is a record," Dr. Vincent DiMaio, a forensic pathologist who specializes in gunshot wounds, told the paper. "Of course, the real issue is where you get shot. One bullet can kill you, but believe it or not, a body can survive a lot of bullet wounds."

Meanwhile, some locals who witnessed the gunfight that left six people, including two cops, wounded are disputing the NYPD's version of events, saying that the officers — some of them in plainclothes — never identified themselves as law enforcement.

"Never once did you hear 'Freeze,'" Shariff Spencer told the New York Times' Trymaine Lee and Colin Moynihan. "Never once did you hear 'Stop.' Never once did you hear 'NYPD.'"

Through a spokesman, the NYPD has insisted that the use of force was justified, saying that Alvarez fired on the officers. It's been reported that the incident began with Alvarez and Soto arguing over a woman.