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A 15-year veteran of the New York City Police Department (NYPD)’s Emergency Service Unit (ESU) was shot in the leg Friday morning during an hours-long standoff with an armed barricaded man in Brooklyn, authorities said.
NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said the incident unfolded at about 5:45 a.m. local time when officers from the 79th precinct responded to a 911 call reporting multiple shots fired inside a two-story home in Bedford-Stuyvesant.
The gunman, identified as Lamin Simmons, 48, allegedly fired roughly 20 rounds throughout the standoff, Tisch said.
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Drone footage allegedly captured Simmons wielding a handgun, and at about 8:30 a.m., he hurled large items — including a microwave, lamp and pots and pans — out of a window at officers staged in the backyard below.
While Simmons’ wife and son safely escaped the house and told police about his history of mental illness, an elderly couple remained trapped on the floor above, Tisch said.
Police determined the incident initially stemmed from a dispute involving the couple.
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At 8:52 a.m., ESU officers entered the home and encountered Simmons at the top of the stairs, Tisch said. He allegedly ignored multiple direct police orders to drop his gun and opened fire on the officers, striking detective Matthew Gale in the left leg.
At least four officers returned fire, striking Simmons, who was later taken to Woodhull Hospital and pronounced dead, police said.
Investigators recovered two weapons at the scene: a Jimenez Arms .380 caliber handgun and a Beretta handgun equipped with an extended magazine, Tisch said.
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Simmons did not have prior documented history with the NYPD.
Gale suffered a tibial fracture but remains in stable condition and in “good spirits” at Kings County Hospital, where he is expected to survive, according to authorities.
Tisch praised the wounded detective and the ESU for consistently handling the city’s most volatile assignments, saying they “met that danger with uncommon valor.”
“What happened this morning is a reminder that the men and women of the NYPD routinely place themselves between danger and the people that they serve. They enter situations that are uncertain and volatile and often life-threatening,” Tisch said. “This morning, detective Gale put his life on the line doing exactly that.”
“We like to say that when the public needs help, they call the police, and when the police need help, they call ESU,” she continued. “Today, once again, they met that danger with uncommon valor.”
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New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani visited the hospital to thank the medical staff and commend Gale’s bravery, noting, “He put on his uniform, he left his house, he said goodbye to his family, and he went to his job to keep our city safe.”
“When New Yorkers call 911, they expect someone to show up,” Mamdani said. “What this officer, and so many others, [did] today was exactly that. I want to thank the first responders and the officers who acted so swiftly in the aftermath of this shooting, and I know that all New Yorkers will join me in wishing detective Gale a full and speedy recovery.”
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