A Long Island native, NYPD Sgt. Christopher Leap, was released from Bellevue Hospital Thursday night after being shot during the apprehension of a robbery suspect on Manhattan’s Lower East Side.
The incident began around 4:15 p.m. when police received a report of a man, identified as 22-year-old Joshua Dorsett, armed with a gun and robbing women of their purses in a Mahjong parlor at 91 Canal St. As Dorsett fled the scene, a special operations team from the a nearby precinct, investigating an illegal smoke shop close by, heard the victims’ screams and quickly got a description of the suspect.
Approximately seven minutes later, Sgt. Leap, 34, from the 7th Precinct, and Sgt. Carl Johnson, 43, from the 5th Precinct, spotted Dorsett about five blocks away at 167 Eldridge St. With assistance from two other officers, the sergeants managed to catch Dorsett and pin him against a car. However, Dorsett reached into his front pocket, pulled out a gun, and a struggle ensued.
During the struggle, Dorsett fired a shot that went through Sgt. Johnson’s thigh and grazed Sgt. Leap’s leg. Both officers were taken to Bellevue Hospital in stable condition. Sgt. Leap, an 11-year veteran of the force, was accompanied by his wife and mother as he was released from the hospital to the cheers of his fellow officers.
Sgt. Johnson, a 16-year veteran, is expected to be released on Friday. Both sergeants are anticipated to make a full recovery. NYPD Commissioner Edward Caban expressed gratitude for the officers’ bravery and their expected recovery.
The suspect, Dorsett, was taken into custody, and a loaded .45 caliber pistol was recovered at the scene. The officers did not return fire during the incident.
Photo: Jason Lawrence, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
