CROWN HEIGHTS, Brooklyn — NEW YORK CITY — In what New York City's mayor is calling it a "Christmas miracle," an NYPD officer is conscious and communicating after he was shot in the back in Brooklyn while responding to a 911 call for a domestic dispute, police said.
The incident occurred in the Crown Heights neighborhood of Brooklyn on Thursday night.
Police said the alleged shooter has been arrested and the gun was recovered. A bulletproof vest protected the 27-year-old officer, who was rushed to a local hospital after being shot near Prospect Place and Ralph Avenue. It went into the vest, but didn't penetrate the officer's skin, NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea said.
The shooter allegedly threatened his girlfriend, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said.
The girlfriend's mother repeatedly called 911, begging for police to come, Shea said. She said the boyfriend had threatened to shoot the home up. As officers on the scene interviewed the daughter, her boyfriend arrived.
He shot an officer and then ran, Shea said. Other officers pursued and arrested him a few blocks away. Body camera video shows officers repeatedly tell the shooter to drop his gun. He put it down on the sidewalk and was taken into custody.
"Because the NYPD was there, that woman is alive right now," de Blasio said. "Because our officer put himself in harm's way, an innocent woman is alive."
The officer’s precise condition wasn’t immediately clear, but police officials said the officer was awake and responsive and has since been released from the hospital.
De Blasio and Shea spoke to the officer's parents.
"They felt that this was a Christmas miracle that their son was alive and well," de Blasio said.
The NYPD asked people to avoid the area. People were advised to expect a police presence in the area.
"It's Christmas Eve. This is a time when you would expect peace, you would expect harmony," de Blasio said.
This story was originally published by Aliza Chasan on WPIX in New York City.