Mayor Adams' Defense of NYPD Subway Shooting Enrages Xitter

New York City Mayor Eric Adams caught the wrath of numerous people online after a clumsy statement defending NYPD officers shooting wildly at a subway farebeater. On Sunday (September 15), New York City Mayor Eric Adams issued a statement in a post on X, formerly Twitter, after an incident where New York Police Department officers shot at an alleged farebeater at a subway station in Brooklyn. “Earlier today, one of our officers was shot while protecting our subway system. I am relieved to report he is in good condition now, and we have arrested the suspect who put so many lives in danger. I cannot thank these officers enough for their bravery,” Adams wrote. The post immediately received a correction through the platform’s Community Notes for omitting that it was NYPD officers who fired their guns, hitting a fellow officer as well as two civilians.

Earlier today, one of our officers was shot while protecting our subway system. I am relieved to report he is in good condition now, and we have arrested the suspect who put so many lives in danger. I cannot thank these officers enough for their bravery. pic.twitter.com/nSLDTyZwkj

— Mayor Eric Adams (@NYCMayor) September 16, 2024

The incident took place at the Sutter Avenue L train station in Brownsville, Brooklyn as two officers observed Derell Mickles enter the station without paying the fare at 3 P.M. They followed Mickles up three flights of stairs to the platform, where they confronted him. At a press conference, NYPD Chief of Department Jeffrey Maddrey stated that the officers on the scene yelled at him to stop, at one point following him onto a waiting train and then off. “The suspect challenged the officers, saying, ‘No, you’re going to have to shoot me,’” Maddrey told the press, adding that they deployed Tasers which were “ineffective”.  The officers then opened fire as Mickles reportedly charged at them, hitting him in the stomach but also hitting bystanders on the platform. “Everyone who was struck this afternoon, we believe, was hit by our officers,” Maddrey said, saying that the Force Investigation Division and the Detective Squad will conduct further investigations. Adams’ statement omitting the NYPD officers’ culpability angered many who saw the statement on X, blasting him for another sign of ineptitude. Others noted that the situation came a day after his attorney Lisa Zornberg resigned in a surprise move, and four days after NYPD Commissioner Edward Caban resigned amid a federal corruption probe that has targeted several other members of Adams’ administration. There may be no severe disciplinary action for the NYPD officers in the Brownsville subway shooting, as Caban reportedly signed off on internal disciplinary reductions before stepping down. Check out more reactions to Adams’ statement below.

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