A New York man who was struck by a stray bullet in a police chase has had brain surgery, his family has shared.
49-year-old Gregory Delpeche was on his way to work via the New York subway when a shooting occurred. The incident took place on Sunday September 15 and left the middle-aged man with a gunshot wound to the head.
Around three o’clock that afternoon, two officers with the New York Police Department (NYPD) saw a man evade payment while entering the subway station. They followed him to the platform, where he did not stop and threatened the officers. The man was then shot several times. However, stray bullets struck three others—Delpeche, a 26-year-old female, and a police officer. The other two will recover from their injuries.
Video from a witness who filmed the incident showed that passengers were running out of the platform while police hurried to the aid of the wounded. The shot victims were in two separate subway cars. Delpeche is now in critical condition, in the hospital, and sedated while doctors prioritize his gunshot wound to the head.
According to the victim’s cousin, Greg Nougues, the entire family is anxiously in a “waiting game.” Delpeche is on a breathing tube and his prognosis remains unclear, while doctors conduct surgery to try and reduce the swelling in his brain. Meanwhile, his family is seeking legal assistance.
Leighton Lee, a neighbor and friend of Delpeche, described the situation as “really messed up” and wondered “why” police officers were “shooting into the crowd.” Chief Jeffrey Maddrey said that the man who was evading payment at the subway had threatened the officers who approached him.
They soon learned that he had a knife and fired two Tasers before resorting to gunshots. The chief said that his officers only fired when the man came towards them with the knife. This weapon was apparently taken from the crime scene hours later, and police are still looking for the person who confiscated it.
But the public is not pleased with the outcome of the shooting. On Tuesday September 17, crowds of protestors gathered in Brooklyn to call for accountability from the NYPD as well as greater transparency from the law enforcement agency.
