Man Who Shot Cop In Standoff Faces Attempted Murder Charges, NYPD Says

NEW YORK CITY — A man who is accused of shooting a cop during a tense early-morning barricade situation in the Lower East Side has been indicted on attempted murder and weapons charges, District Attorney Alvin Bragg said.

Edwin Rivera, 35, is charged in a New York State Supreme Court indictment with two counts of attempted murder in the first degree, two counts of attempted murder in the second degree, two counts of attempted assault in the first degree, one count of criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree, and two counts of criminal possession of a controlled substance in the third degree.

This is not Rivera's first arrest. He was out on parole four times, most recently for a Nov. 6 arrest for criminal possession of stolen property and resisting arrest, according to officials.

"[Rivera] is a career criminal, a convicted felon with multiple priors for gun possession and narcotics," NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said. "The real question here is this: Why was this individual out of jail and in a position to shoot our officers?"

The chaotic scene started at 5:09 a.m. on Feb. 18 when police were executing a search warrant at the Vladeck Houses at 384 Madison St. after receiving a tip about guns in the apartment, authorities said.

A man from behind the door of the apartment fired around five and six shots at the officers, hitting one cop's shield, before barricading himself inside the apartment with a couch in front of the door, police officials said.

The man then threw a bag of drugs through his window onto the street, Bragg said.

At that point, the cops did not return fire and repositioned themselves in the hallway, while the NYPD hostage negotiation team talked with the perpetrator over the phone in an attempt to de-escalate the situation, authorities said.

Then, the perpetrator cut off communication with the hostage negotiation team and the officers in the hallway began to move the couch in front of the door when the perpetrator opened fire again, firing three shots and hitting a cop in the upper arm around 8:18 a.m., officials said.

Then, the other cops shot back at the perpetrator, hitting him in the leg and torso, NYPD said.

“We have absolutely no tolerance for any conduct that harms police officers, and the charges in this indictment reflect the seriousness with which we are treating this incident,” Bragg said.

The officer who was shot was taken to NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue in stable condition, and the suspect was also taken to the hospital and then arrested, NYPD said.

“The shooting of a uniformed police officer is an attack on our entire city,” Tisch said. "This indictment serves as a stark reminder of the dangers that NYPD police officers face every day while working to keep New York City safe."

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