Crédito: fuente
Two deputy U.S. marshals were shot early Friday morning in the Bronx as they tried to arrest a 35-year-old man sought in connection with the shooting of a state trooper in Massachusetts, the authorities said.
The man, Andre K. Sterling, was killed as he exchanged fire with the deputies, who were expected to survive, the authorities said.
One of the marshals was wounded in the leg, the other in the leg and arm, according to a statement from the United States Marshals Service. A New York Police Department detective was also injured when he fell while carrying one of the wounded deputies to a police car.
The operation, led by U.S. Marshals and the Regional Fugitive Task Force, began around 5 a.m. in the Wakefield neighborhood of the Bronx, law enforcement officials said. U.S. Marshals knocked on the door of 4085 Ely Avenue, and were greeted by a man at the door.
The man, believed to be a friend of Mr. Sterling’s, had invited the deputies into the home when Mr. Sterling appeared, pulled a gun and opened fire, the official said. The two deputies drew their weapons and fired back.
Mr. Sterling was shot and killed; the man who had answered the door received a head injury in the fracas but was expected to survive, the official said.
The marshals had been searching for Mr. Sterling because of arrest warrants issued in Massachusetts seeking to charge him with armed assault with intent to murder after he had allegedly shot a trooper on Cape Cod last month.
The authorities had tracked Mr. Sterling to the Bronx and had determined that he might be staying at the house on Ely Avenue, the Massachusetts State Police said in a statement. Four state troopers from Massachusetts were present at the operation.
The shooting of the state trooper occurred at about 11:30 p.m. on Nov. 20, as Mr. Sterling drove in a stolen car through the village of Hyannis on Cape Cod, according to a wanted poster from the Massachusetts State Police.
During a traffic stop, Mr. Sterling shot the trooper and fled. The trooper, John Lennon, was hit in the hand and torso but survived, the state police said.
Mr. Sterling, a native of Jamaica, was also wanted on two other warrants in Massachusetts, including one for identity theft, as well as a narcotics charge in Wyoming, the flier said.
Residents in the working-class neighborhood where the shootout happened woke up to the sounds of helicopters hovering above the streets filled with single-family homes.
Jimmy Wright, 77, said he immediately knew something was wrong when loud sirens startled him at around 4:30 a.m.
“I knew right away they were looking for somebody,” said Mr. Wright. “The helicopters were flying up and down the street. I knew something was not right.”
Later in the morning, the red and blue police lights were still flashing in front of the house where Mr. Sterling was killed. Police officers canvassed the street and sealed off several blocks.
Noel Murray, 67, said he was just waking up when he heard what sounded like four gunshots. The sound of sirens then filled the neighborhood, as numerous police officers and ambulances arrived, he said.
“This is usually a quiet neighborhood,” he said. “You don’t see this everyday.”
Another local resident, Sandra Thomas, who lives on Edenwald Avenue, shook her head in dismay. “Everyone is in shock,” she said.
