Two teens arrested following shooting of off-duty NYPD officer

The New York Police Department (NYPD) has arrested two teenagers in connection with the shooting of an off-duty police officer last week.

A 17-year-old male and a 16-year-old male were arrested and charged in the shooting, the NYPD tweeted on Saturday.

NYPD Chief of Housing Jeffrey Maddrey said during a news conference on Feb. 5 that the shooting occurred around 4:30 p.m. that day near a community center in Manhattan.

The officer, assigned to the housing division in the Bronx, was off-duty and attending a vigil at the community center, according to police. When he exited the lobby, two individuals allegedly opened fire in the area.

The suspects fled by the time on-duty police arrived.

The officer assisted on-duty officers with the investigation, but later realized he had been shot in the foot, according to police. The officer was then taken to Mount Sinai Hospital. He is expected to make a full-recovery.

Maddrey said police were thankful the incident was not worse, but noted that seven NYPD officers have been shot so far this year.

“We all need to support one another, we need to start discouraging gun violence,” he said. “We shouldn’t have to live like this.”