Finally got through to an old friend on the force and he admitted that my suspicions were correct. The NYPD has ordered it's officers to shoot to wound whenever possible.
"A police sergeant fired two bullets into the legs of a man who pointed a loaded pistol at him and two other cops in Queens last night, authorities said.
The unidentified suspect was at Elmhurst Hospital Center in stable condition early today with a gunshot wound in each leg.
The incident unfolded about 9:20 p.m. when the sergeant and two officers, all members of the anti-crime unit and in plainclothes, spotted a man in his mid-20s acting suspiciously near the Queens Center Mall, sources said.
They began to follow him in an unmarked car, but he apparently realized they were police and started to run, the sources said.
The cops jumped out of their vehicle and chased him on foot until he ducked into a three-story parking garage on Junction Blvd. at 59th Ave. across from Lefrak City in Elmhurst.
The officers followed the man to the second floor, identified themselves as police and said they wanted to question him, cops at the scene said.
The man wheeled and aimed a .38-caliber pistol at them, police said.
The sergeant then pulled out his service revolver and fired twice, cops said.
The incident was still under investigation early this morning. No charges were immediately filed against the gunman, police said.
Last night's incident marked the third time in as many days that cops have shot and wounded a suspect.
On Wednesday, police shot a 22-year-old man on Nostrand Ave. in Flatbush, Brooklyn, after he allegedly reached for a gun. A loaded Ruger .357 magnum revolver was found beside him.
Cops on Thursday wounded a man who allegedly opened fire on them after spraying a car with bullets in East New York, Brooklyn.
On Nov. 25, cops fatally shot unarmed Sean Bell, 23, as he was leaving his bachelor party in Jamaica, Queens."
Forget the mention of "service revolver", because to a modern (meaning poorly trained and utterly clueless) journalist that simply means the cops' gun. All senior officers have been told to quietly pass the word that there will be no more spray and pray gunfights, and that street cops had better take aim at a leg or hand or shoulder if they want the department to stand behind them should they be forced to discharge a weapon in, and this was also stressed, self-defense. But as a matter of fact they'd be better served returning to revolvers, as the 12 pound NY2 trigger makes it impossible for all but the best marksmen to be so selective with their fire. Was awaiting confimation from other sources as the department itself will provide absolutely no information to anyone not accredited as a "journalist", and scant information at best, but the news come from a trusted source.
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