WEST BRIGHTON, Staten Island (WPIX) — An on-duty emergency medical worker was shot in Staten Island on Wednesday night, police said.
The victim and his partner had responded to reports of a disorderly person outside of a Staten Island bar, NYPD Inspector Mark Molinari said.
The EMTs found the 37-year-old man, identified by police as Thomas McCauley, in front of the bar and put him into an ambulance, Molinari said. While being transported, McCauley allegedly pulled out a gun and shot a 25-year-old EMT in the shoulder. A revolver was recovered at the scene.
Another EMT in the ambulance, who was unharmed, pulled over after the shooting. Molinari said McCauley then fled out the back door of the ambulance. He was apprehended by a retired New York City Police detective and an off-duty Department of Sanitation lieutenant shortly afterward.
Charges against the suspect are pending. He had one prior interaction with the NYPD, according to Molinari.
Molinari said after the suspect was apprehended, the unharmed EMT drove her injured partner to Richmond University Medical Center for treatment.
The EMT is not employed by the New York City Fire Department, an agency spokesperson said. He’s employed by RUMC, a spokesperson for the hospital later confirmed. He was described as being in stable condition.
Mayor Eric Adams has vowed to tackle gun violence in New York City. He and NYPD Commissioner Keechant Sewell have launched a number of initiatives aimed at making the five boroughs safer.
“The number of shootings that we are responding to every night is despicable,” Adams said recently after an NYPD officer was shot.
