The police officer who was shot in the right ankle after responding to a massive melee that spilled onto the streets of Mott Haven, has undergone surgery at Lincoln Medical Center for what NYPD is calling a case of “friendly fire.”
Officer Sherrod Stuart is expected to make a full recovery.
At the 40th Precinct’s monthly community council meeting with Mott Haven residents on Jan. 13, Deputy Inspector Carlos Valdez, the precinct’s commanding officer, said that Stuart and two other officers were responding to 911 calls reporting that an altercation had broken out around 2 a.m. on Third Ave. near Lincoln Ave, and that the fighters were using guns, knives and bats. The fight resulted in at least seven stabbings, Valdez added.
The shot that hit Stuart was originally thought to have been fired by a suspect involved in the altercation.
“The whole encounter lasted less than 10 seconds,” Valdez said, while providing a recap of the events. Five suspects were arrested and four guns were recovered at the scene, he added.
The Sanctuary Party Club at 2505 Third Ave. where the fight began, is under investigation for serving liquor, charging admission and having bouncers, despite not being authorized to do so, Valdez explained.
“They’re doing their investigation and, all of a sudden, shots start being fired. There’s an exchange of gunfire between three police officers,” Valdez explained. “During the melee, it was chaotic and if you see the video, you could understand it. It was hundreds of people.”
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