All 9 Bystanders Injured During Empire State Building Shooting Were Hit By NYPD Bullets
The NYPD confirmed today that all nine people who were injured during the shooting at the Empire State Building were hit with police bullets.
New York Police Commissioner Ray Kelly said that two officers fired 16 rounds after the gunman pulled his weapon in front of the New York landmark.
“Altogether, the two officers who confronted Jeffrey Johnson fired 16 rounds—one officer shot nine while another one shot seven.”
The NYPD believes that seven of those bullets struck Johnson. The other nine were responsible for injuring bystanders.
On the bright side, the NYPD notes that most of the injured victims were hit with fragments of bullets or bullets that had ricocheted off of “flowerpots and other objects around.”
Kelly said: “Their bullets fragmented and, in essence, that’s what caused the wounds.”
Six people who were wounded during the shooting were treated at the hospital and were released Friday evening. Three others remain hospitalized.
Robert Asika, a 23-year-old who was hit with an NYPD bullet, said:
“When I turned around, I saw a guy reach in his suit and he pulled out a gun. I guess he shot at the police officer. And the police officer shot him. And one of them shot me in the arm, and I fell.”
“I get they were doing their job, but they have to be a little more careful when they are aiming the gun at the suspect and not hit the innocent victims… If you wanna aim at the target, you got to know what you’re doing because it’s the street… I could have been dead right now. I could have been dead.”
The Empire State Shooting resulted in two deaths. Steven Ercolino, 41, and the gunman Jeffrey Johnson.
