New York cop Randolph Holder was fatally shot late Tuesday as he chased an armed suspect in East Harlem, reported the New York Times. The slain officer was responding to a call regarding gunshots that were heard around 8:30 p.m.
When police confronted the suspect, who was said to be riding a bicycle, there was an exchange of fire and Holder was fatally shot in the head. Holder's colleague, however, was able to immobilize the suspect by shooting him in the legs and buttocks. He's now in custody.
NYPD Commissioner Bill Bratton described Holder as a 33-year-old diligent officer who had served in the police force for five years, according to Fox News.
"Tonight, he did what every other officer in the NYPD does," said an emotional Bratton. "When the call comes, he ran toward danger. It was the last time he will respond to that call."
According to Bratton, witnesses alerted the police to a suspect seen fleeing, and as police pursued him, they came across another man who reported having just been robbed of his bicycle at gun point.
Bratton added that the officers caught up with the suspect and cornered him around East 120th Street. A witness at the scene, speaking to Fox 5, confirmed having heard at least five gunshots.
The New York Post reported that the suspect fired a shot as he jumped over a bridge. Holder was rushed to the nearby Harlem Hospital where he later died.
Holder is the fourth NYPD officer to be shot in the line of duty within the last 10 months. On Dec. 20, 2014, Rafael Ramos and Wenjian Liu, both detectives with the NYPD, were shot dead inside their patrol car by a suspect who was motivated by revenge for the deaths of two black males in the hands of police.
