An 18-year-old man has been identified and charged after a chaotic Brooklyn confrontation that left a veteran NYPD detective injured just days before his planned retirement.
Police identified the suspect as Camani Barletto, 18, of West Orange, New Jersey. According to the New York Post, Barletto was charged Monday night with multiple offenses, including two counts of attempted murder, two counts of weapons possession, two counts of reckless endangerment, and criminal mischief.
The incident happened early Sunday morning in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, near Nostrand Avenue and St. John’s Place. NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said officers assigned to a Mobile Field Force detail were sitting in an unmarked police vehicle when an armed individual approached them at about 4:14 a.m.
Officials said the same individual had been seen on surveillance video minutes earlier with a firearm in his hand. Tisch said officers exited the vehicle and attempted to engage the armed suspect. The police vehicle later showed ballistic damage, including damage to the front and rear windshields and the passenger side.
During the confrontation, three officers discharged their weapons, and the suspect was not struck. Detective Robert Karroll was hit in the back of his ballistic vest, suffering a contusion near the impact area. A second officer also suffered minor injuries.
The New York Post reported, citing preliminary information, that Karroll may have been struck by friendly fire during the chaotic exchange. The detective, described as a married father of three and only days away from retirement, avoided serious injury because of his bulletproof vest.
After the shooting, the suspect fled on foot and was later arrested several blocks away near Rogers Avenue and Union Street. Police said he resisted arrest and refused to be handcuffed before officers used a Taser. A SAR 9mm firearm was recovered.
ABC7 New York reported that surveillance footage appeared to show the suspect pointing a firearm toward another vehicle before the incident involving the officers. Investigators also alleged that the suspect later fired toward the SUV carrying the NYPD officers.
Detective Karroll was taken to Kings County Hospital and is expected to make a full recovery. Commissioner Tisch said his ballistic vest worked as designed and saved his life.
The officers involved had been deployed as part of a Fourth of July violence reduction plan focused on ongoing crew violence in the area. They had reportedly been reassigned to Crown Heights after previously working a Sail250 detail in Lower Manhattan.
The case remains under investigation as authorities continue reviewing surveillance video and other evidence. As with all criminal cases, the charges against Barletto are allegations unless proven in court.
