NYPD cop wounded in off-duty shooting leaves Queens hospital
A rookie NYPD officer — wounded in an off-duty shooting hours before the funeral of a city cop shot dead in January — left a Queens hospital Thursday to cheers and applause of fellow officers.
Shortly before Officer Manuel Soto, 22, of Queens, was released from Jamaica Hospital Medical Center, the two men accused of attempting to carjack him, were indicted on multiple charges, including attempted murder, the Queens district attorney said.
NYPD Commissioner Keechant Sewell and other department brass joined Soto's fellow officers at the walkout ceremony — a ritual for a wounded cop that has become all-too-common so far in 2022. It was the sixth shooting of an NYPD officer since Jan. 1. Officers Wilbert Mora and Jason Rivera died of gunshot wounds sustained Jan. 21 in Harlem after they responded to a domestic dispute in Harlem.
Rivera's funeral Mass was held Friday at St. Patrick's Cathedral in Manhattan. Mora's funeral Mass at the church took place Wednesday.
Three other city cops have been shot and wounded since the beginning of the year.
Soto was on his way to work at the 63rd Precinct in Brooklyn late Tuesday when two men approached his car and tapped on his window with a gun, police said. Soto got out of the car and was shot at several times and hit once in the shoulder, according to the NYPD. He returned fire but missed his assailants, who were captured a few blocks away from the crime scene, according to officials.
Police Benevolent Association president Patrick Lynch said "today was a good day" when a police officer could go home and heal.
"It also shows the dangers we face on the street," Lynch said. "Perps are not afraid to carry guns on the street."
Sewell had rushed to be at the hospital to see Soto off, after leaving early from a conference with President Joe Biden.
Charged in Soto's shooting with attempted murder and other offenses were Chad Collie, 19, and Jayare Robinson, 18, both of Queens. A 13-count indictment accuses Collie of first- and second-degree attempted murder. Robinson was charged in an 11-count indictment with second-degree attempted murder, attempted robbery, assault and other offenses.
Both Robinson and Collie were arraigned before Judge Laura Peterson and ordered held without bail. Defense attorneys for the pair couldn’t be immediately reached for comment.
"This was a brazen carjacking attempt that all too easily could have ended in yet another tragedy for the NYPD and all New Yorkers," Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said in a statement.
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.
