Friendly Fire Horror: NYPD Detective Shot by Fellow Officer
An NYPD detective was shot in his protective vest by apparent friendly fire during a confrontation with an armed suspect in Brooklyn. The vest saved him from serious injury, while the incident highlights the risks faced by officers and the rare, but sometimes fatal, consequences of friendly fire. The suspect had engaged in other firearm-related incidents prior to confronting police.
An incident over the weekend in Brooklyn saw an NYPD detective, Robert Karroll, shot in his protective vest by what appears to be friendly fire. The Suffolk County resident was sitting in an unmarked police vehicle with two other officers around 4 a.m. on Nostrand Avenue in Crown Heights when the shooting occurred. His armored vest proved crucial, stopping a bullet to his back and preventing serious injury, police confirmed.
According to the NYPD, the officers had encountered an 18-year-old armed male who approached their car with his gun openly displayed, then proceeded to walk around to the driver's side. NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch, speaking at a news conference, stated that Karroll and his colleagues exited their vehicle to confront the individual. Shots were subsequently fired, penetrating the front window of the police vehicle. Officers returned fire, and it was during this exchange that Det. Karroll was struck once in the back of his vest by what investigators suspect was friendly fire. The suspect, who has yet to be publicly identified, was not hit and is currently in custody, though uncharged.
Prior to the confrontation with police, the same suspect had allegedly brandished a gun and pointed it towards men outside a deli on Nostrand Avenue. After entering and exiting the deli with the gun still visible, he reportedly fired at a moving Uber vehicle, which was carrying a passenger. Neither the driver nor the passenger sustained injuries. Approximately two minutes after shooting at the Uber, the suspect then approached the unmarked police vehicle.
Det. Karroll joined the NYPD in 2006 and has an extensive record, including 112 felony and 113 misdemeanor arrests. Friendly fire incidents, while uncommon, can sometimes lead to tragic outcomes. A notable example cited is the February 2019 case of Det. Brian Simonsen, 42, of Calverton, who was fatally shot by fellow officers during a robbery at a T-Mobile store in Queens. In that incident, officers fired 42 rounds at two suspects wielding a fake handgun, and investigators concluded that Simonsen was struck by friendly fire, though the specific officer who fired the fatal shot could not be definitively identified.