Bulletproof Vest Saved Shot Police Officer’s Life, NYPD Says

CYPRESS HILLS, BROOKLYN – A bulletproof vest saved a police officer’s life after he was shot by a man in Cypress Hills, the NYPD said.

The shooter killed himself after the Thursday standoff at his mother’s home on Ridgewood Avenue near Essex Street, according to police.

The incident began when the shooter's mother called 911 at 4:35 p.m. with concerns about her 29-year-old son, who she said not violent and was unarmed. It was not immediately clear why she called the authorities.

A police officer went to the back of her building when told the man might try to flee, police said. The Daily News identified the cop as Officer Hart Nguyen, 30. As he approached a rear bedroom, the shooter opened fire on him, striking him in the arm and vest, police said.

“This vest definitely saved his life,” Police Commissioner James O’Neill said at a Thursday press conference at Jamaica Hospital, where the officer was described as being in stable condition.

About three hours after Nguyen was shot, officers entered the building, where they found the shooter dead due to a self-inflicted gunshot wound, according to news reports. Two guns were found next to his body. The shooter’s name was not immediately released.

“Thank goodness, the officer is going to be fine,” O’Neill said. “They said (recovery) is going take a while, but I saw the injuries. I spoke to him, spoke to his partner and they're going to be fine. It may take a little time though.”

Lead image by @singlemomspower/Twitter. Images of guns found at scene courtesy NYPD.