September 17, 2024 - The Ocean Avenue News - oceanavenuenews.com

Mayor Eric Adams on Tuesday defended the Brownsville police officers who shot four people, including an NYPD officer, while pursuing an alleged fare-beater at the Sutter Avenue subway station on Sunday.

The officers opened fire on the station platform on the afternoon of Sept. 15 after the suspect, 37-year-old Derell Mickles, allegedly pulled a knife, according to acting NYPD commish Thomas Donlon. Mickles was shot, as was one of the officers and two bystanders — a 49-year-old man and a 26-year-old woman.

As of Tuesday afternoon, all four were hospitalized and three were stable. The 49-year-old man, who was shot in the head, was listed in critical condition.

officers on scene of Brownsville shooting — Officers on the scene of the shooting at the Sutter Avenue station. Photo by Dean Moses

The incident has drawn widespread criticism from lawmakers and New Yorkers, who questioned the forceful response to fare evasion and the casualties that resulted.

“The injured and their families are in our thoughts and we hope for the speedy recovery of all who were injured by this unnecessary escalation,” said local council members Chris Banks and Sandy Nurse in a joint statement. “A person’s life is worth more than a $2.90 fare. Opening fire inside any subway station will inevitably put the public and officers at risk.”

But Adams on Tuesday pushed back on suggestions that officers had been too forceful, saying Mickles was a “repeat offender” who had been arrested more than 20 times.

“I think those officers should be commended for how they really showed a great level of restraint,” he said. “And it’s just unfortunate that innocent people were shot because of that, but they were shot because they had a dangerous repeat offender on our subway system.”

The mayor also criticized suggestions that the city should pull back on its fare evasion response. Officers initially followed Mickles because he had not paid, Donlon said on Sunday, and subsequently realized he had a knife in his pocket. Both officers reportedly attempted to tase Mickles before drawing their guns, but their tasers were defective.

“He was not shot for fare evasion,” Adams said. “He was shot because he had a knife, and he went after the police officers after repeatedly asking him to put down the knife.”

officer holding picture of knife after shooting — An officer holds a picture of Mickles’ knife, which police later said was removed from the scene. Photo by Dean Moses

The NYPD initially said officers had recovered Mickles’ knife on the scene, but reversed course on Monday, when the department released images of an unknown man wanted for criminal possession of a weapon after he allegedly took the knife and left the station. It was unclear which knife was recovered on Sunday, or where it came from.

Mickles had not yet been charged as of Sept. 17, and the Brooklyn District Attorney’s office told Brooklyn Paper the timeline for an arraignment was unclear, as he was still hospitalized. According to Gothamist, prosecutors plan to charge him with attempted assault and fare evasion — but not criminal possession of a weapon, as the knife he had in hand was legal.

It was not clear whether the officers involved in the shooting had been placed on leave or alternate duty while the incident is investigated. Adams told reporters on Tuesday that they would have to check with the NYPD, which did not immediately return Brooklyn Paper’s request for comment.

Local elected officials, including council members Nurse and Banks, have called for a “thorough investigation” of the incident, and for the release of video footage captured by the officers’ body-worn cameras.

mayor eric adams — Adams said the officers should be “commended.” Photo courtesy of Ed Reed/Mayoral Photography Office

In a joint statement, City Council Majority Whip Selvena Brooks-Powers and Public Safety chair Yusef Salaam said the incident “raises serious questions about the NYPD officers’ use of force and safety strategy within the public transit system.”

“The safety of every New Yorker — officers and passengers alike — must be our top priority and shootings like this reduce public confidence in the system,” Brooks-Powers and Salaam said. “It is critical that such an incident on our subway system is not repeated or normalized.”

Adams on Sunday said video recorded on body cams and cameras in the station gave a “complete account” of the incident. When asked about the release of the footage on Tuesday, the mayor said the police commissioner would decide whether or not to make the video public.

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