NYPD officer from Long Island shot in the Bronx leaves hospital
An NYPD officer shot and wounded Tuesday night in the Bronx was met Thursday by applause and fist bumps from hundreds of fellow cops as he left a hospital in the borough to continue recovery at home in Suffolk County.
Officer Daniel Vargas, 31, based at the 43rd Precinct, and with six and a half years of service, sat in a wheelchair as he was led out of Jacobi Medical Center and down a path lined with boisterous cops, some in uniform, others in plainclothes.
As he approached a waiting SUV to take him home, Vargas gingerly got to his feet and climbed inside, but not before turning to his fellow officers and giving a thumbs-up.
Two days before, Vargas had been shot in the lower back, just under the edge of his bullet-resistant vest, after he and another officer made a car stop at about 10:29 p.m. near the intersection of Lafayette Avenue and White Plains Road, police said. A suspect, Ajani Jones, 24, of the Bronx, attempted to flee the scene but was later arrested, according to officials.
Jones was charged with attempted murder, assault, criminal possession of a weapon and criminal possession of stolen property, police said. Jones was being held without bail, said a spokeswoman for the Bronx district attorney's office. His next court date is Feb. 11.
Police recovered a handgun at the scene of the shooting.
Anthony M. DeStefano has been a reporter for Newsday since 1986 and covers law enforcement, criminal justice and legal affairs from its New York City offices.
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