Inmate In MVPD Police Van Wounded By Gunshot On The Way To Westchester County Jail

MOUNT VERNON, NY — The Mount Vernon Police Department is investigating the shooting of an inmate who was in custody in the back of a prisoner transport van on Thursday night.

Five prisoners were being transported from the Mount Vernon Police Department to the Westchester County Jail in a Mount Vernon Police Department jail van, when the officers who were escorting the prisoners report hearing a single gunshot from the back of the van.

The officers immediately returned to the Mount Vernon Police Department cell block and unloaded the prisoners and saw that one of the prisoners had what was described as a "minor wound to their leg." The wounded prisoner is being treated at a hospital.

A firearm was recovered, police said. A prisoner who is described as "the person of interest in the shooting" is being detained, according to MVPD.

In a statement, Westchester District Attorney Susan Cacace said her office is assisting in the investigation.

"Separately, the Public and Law Enforcement Integrity Bureau within the District Attorney's Office is conducting an independent, holistic review of the incident," Cacace's office said. "That investigation remains ongoing, and no further details can be released at this time."