An ex-convict opened fire on two New York City police officers on Monday night, critically wounding one of them.
Officers were working in Brooklyn’s Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood when gunfire broke out about 10.20pm, police said. “There were several shots and they immediately went to the vestibule and there were two men there with firearms,” Police commissioner James O’Neill said during a press conference.
The two police officers fired and hit a 39-year-old male suspect, O’Neill said. A second man fled the scene.
Two officers are expected to be released from the hospital. The suspect is in critical condition.
Around 50 hours after making his arrest, Ronald Hamilton was able to blend into a large group on the street, police said. He had a concealed weapon permit and was in possession of a handgun and two knives. Hamilton, a 42-year-old convicted criminal, is described as a career criminal with convictions on misdemeanor assault and criminal possession of a weapon.
The NYPD is asking anyone with information on his whereabouts to call them. A reward for information leading to Hamilton’s arrest has been increased to $40,000.