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A bystander reportedly suffered brain damage after being shot in the head by New York City police officers attempted to capture a suspect who allegedly skipped out on paying subway fare.
On Sunday, Sept. 15, shots rang out in Brooklyn at the Sutter Avenue subway station while NYPD officers pursued a knife-wielding man accused of not paying his $2.90 fare, according to Pix 11, the New York Times and CBS New York.
Authorities tried to stop the suspect, Derell Mickles, 38, from jumping over a turnstile, police said in a press conference on Wednesday, September 18. Mickles allegedly ignored them and pulled out a knife. Police say their tasers were not effective in stopping the suspect, so they pulled out their guns. They fired nine rounds, striking the suspect in the abdomen. Police said two bystanders were injured: an unnamed 26-year-old woman and Gregory Delpeche, 49. A police officer was also injured.
Delpeche was hospitalized at Kings County Hospital and suffered brain damage, sources told PIX11. The injured police officer and woman were released from the hospital.
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Delpeche had reportedly been on his way to work at Woodhull Hospital at the time of the incident.
Delpeche’s cousin, Greg Nougues, told the Associated Press on Tuesday, Sept. 17, Delpeche needed cranial surgery to reduce swelling from the bullet wound. “Right now he’s breathing through a tube,” Nougues said, adding that the family is in a “waiting game.” He also told the AP that the family is looking for a lawyer.
On Wednesday, Sept. 18, Nougues, told CBS New York he believed the NYPD acted recklessly.
“I saw that it was him. I broke down,” Nougues said. “He keeps to himself. Quiet, and he was hardworking. Been with Woodhull Hospital for 20 years. So he was on his way to work. There’s no reason why he should not make it to work. I believe that the NYPD was reckless.”
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Leighton Lee, who is friends with Delpeche, told the Times he received a call from a police officer on the day of the shooting. Lee says he was asked a series of strange questions from the caller as part of “an ongoing investigation.”
Without getting a clear explanation for the inquiries, Lee turned on the news and was surprised by what he saw.
“I knew that was him, and my heart dropped,” he told the Times in a phone interview on Tuesday, Sept. 17. “He was the one that got shot in the head.”
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Lee also shared his disapproval for the NYPD’s actions, adding, “It was very reckless of them to be shooting in a crowded train station,” when “they knew a stray bullet could hit someone. It happened to be my childhood friend of 30 or 40 years.”
At least 18 people were arrested during a protest outside the subway station on Tuesday, reports Gothamist.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams defended the officers’ actions.
“Our hearts bleed when an innocent person is a victim of something like this, but police officers must be trained to make the right decision. When I looked at the video, I saw discipline. I saw a desire to de-escalate the situation,” Adams said on Wednesday.
Interim Police Commissioner Tom Donlon called the situation “a tragedy,” but placed blame on the suspect.
“We also know this incident happened. It happened because an individual decided to enter our subway system. He refused to drop that weapon after repeated orders by the officers. And then he advanced towards the officers while he was armed,” Donlon said in a press conference on Wednesday.
Mickles, who is in critical condition at Kings County Hospital, faces charges of first-degree attempted assault, theft of services, menacing and criminal possession of a weapon, police said, per the Times.
