Cop Who Shot NYC Terror Suspect: 'We Were Just Doing Our Job'

NEW YORK, NY — NYPD Officer Ryan Nash said he and his fellow cops were "just doing our job" when they responded to the scene of Tuesday's terror attack on a Hudson River bike path.

But for Nash, 28, doing his job made him a hero.

It was Nash, a five-year veteran of Lower Manhattan's 1st Precinct, who shot suspected attacker Sayfullo Saipov in the stomach. That ended Saipov's Islamic State-inspired spree of violence that killed eight people and injured a dozen — the deadliest terror attack in New York since 9/11.

"Although I feel that we were just doing our job, like thousands of officers do every day, I understand the importance of yesterday's events and the role we played, and I am grateful for the recognition we have received," Nash said at a news conference Wednesday, making his first public statement since the attack.

Watch: NYPD Hero Cop Says He Was Just Doing His Job

Nash was one of the first cops on the scene at West Street and Chambers Street on Tuesday after Saipov, 29, crashed the truck he was driving into a school bus just after 3 p.m., officials said. Saipov had just used the rented truck to mow down pedestrians and cyclists on the Hudson River Greenway, officials say.

Yelling "Allahu akbar" — Arabic for "God is great" — Saipov got out of the truck holding what turned out to be a paintball gun and a pellet gun, officials say. One of the nine bullets Nash fired at Saipov hit him in the abdomen, according to The New York Times.

"He was a hero," Gov. Andrew Cuomo said at a news conference Wednesday. "The NYPD is not just the leadership. It’s the men and women who are out there every day, who are on the first line, and I think Officer Nash really showed how important they are and how talented and how brave."

Nash's actions drew widespread praise from New Yorkers of all stripes. Former NYPD Commissioner Bill Bratton tweeted that he's "truly one of New York's finest."

There was little Nash could say about his actions, given the pending criminal case against Saipov. He is charged with providing material support to a terrorist organization and violence and destruction of a motor vehicle.

But he thanked the other cops who responded to the scene, along with his family and friends.

“I’m very proud of him,” Nash's father, Richard Nash, told People Magazine.

Nash has earned two NYPD awards for Excellent Police Duty and one for Meritorious Police Duty in his five years on the force, Newsday reported.

Mayor Bill de Blasio said he was struck by Nash's humility. The mayor is scheduled to visit the 1st Precinct on Thursday.

"He was very humble about what he did, but what he did was extraordinary and gave people such faith and such appreciation in our police force," de Blasio told reporters Wednesday.

(Lead image: Officer Ryan Nash speaks to reporters at a news conference on Wednesday. Photo by Frank Eltman/Associated Press)