Man shot, officer suffers head injury during police encounter in Yonkers

David Propper and Seth Harrison, Rockland/Westchester Journal News
·2 min read

YONKERS — A man was shot and a police officer was injured during a confrontation in an apartment building Monday afternoon, Yonkers police said.

Five city police officers responded to an apartment building at 52 Main St. at 12:29 p.m. to a report of a man waving a gun on the third floor, Yonkers Police Commissioner John Mueller said during a press briefing. When officers arrived, gunshots were exchanged, Mueller said.

"Our officers fired," he said. "To the best of our knowledge, we don’t know that the suspect fired."

Yonkers police work outside 52 Main St. in Yonkers Jan. 17, 2022 after police shot a man wielding a gun inside an apartment. The suspect was shot in the leg, and one officer suffered a concussion. Both were taken to a local hospital with non-life threatening injuries.
Yonkers police work outside 52 Main St. in Yonkers Jan. 17, 2022 after police shot a man wielding a gun inside an apartment. The suspect was shot in the leg, and one officer suffered a concussion. Both were taken to a local hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

A 24-year-old man was shot once in the calf as the encounter unfolded in a hallway in the building, Mueller said. The 911 call that was made about the man waving a gun was made from the cellphone belonging to the man who was shot, he said, but it was not immediately clear if the man who was shot was the person speaking during that 911 call.

One officer was being treated in an intensive care unit for a concussion and four broken vertebrae, Mueller said. Police body camera footage indicates that officer, who has more than 20 years with the police, jumped over a railing and landed about 10 feet down before he was injured, Mueller said.

"I don’t know why he jumped," he said. "We can only speculate, but to have an officer throw themselves over a bannister…one would think that he felt like he was in grave danger."

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"I'm just grateful that everybody's alive," he said.

"Now comes the hard part," Mueller added, mentioning the ensuing investigation.

Yonkers police will investigate the incident with the Westchester County District Attorney's Office. Mueller said the investigation is in the preliminary stages. Police officers had body cameras on, which the department will look at, Mueller said.

Yonkers police stand outside 52 Main St. in Yonkers Jan. 17, 2022 after police shot a man wielding a gun inside an apartment. The suspect was shot in the leg, and one officer suffered a concussion. Both were taken to a local hospital with non-life threatening injuries.
Yonkers police stand outside 52 Main St. in Yonkers Jan. 17, 2022 after police shot a man wielding a gun inside an apartment. The suspect was shot in the leg, and one officer suffered a concussion. Both were taken to a local hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

"It's important to note that this scene is very fluid," Mueller said.

Yonkers police earlier in the day asked people to avoid the area near 52 Main St. due to a "police involved shooting" that was under investigation.

No one else is being sought, Mueller said.

David Propper covers Westchester County. Reach him at dpropper@lohud.com and follow him on Twitter: dg_props. Our local coverage is only possible with support from our readers.

This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Yonkers police officer injured, man shot in Main Street confrontation