An NYPD detective was wounded by “friendly fire” Friday morning in Queens while responding to a carjacking in progress by a “violent, predicate felon,” law enforcement officials said.
The detective, a 12-year veteran assigned to Queens South Narcotics, was struck once in the right hand and once in the left leg after officers discharged their weapons during the attempted arrest near the Whitestone Expressway and 22nd Road in Whitestone, within the 109th Precinct.
He was rushed in a police vehicle to Jamaica Hospital, where officials said he is expected to make a full recovery. The officer’s wife, who is expecting a child, was at his side, Mayor Eric Adams said during a press conference at the hospital Friday morning.
NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said the incident unfolded just before 9 a.m., when 28-year-old Kevin Dubuisson allegedly attempted to carjack an Uber driver in a black Toyota Highlander.
Tisch said he “displayed what appears to be a firearm” to the driver before assaulting him multiple times after he exited the vehicle. She said Dubuisson attempted to flee the scene in the car, but because the Uber driver still had the keys, he was forced to return and collided with another car at the location.
Dubuisson then allegedly assaulted the driver a second time in an effort to get the keys, tackling him to the ground. After retrieving the keys, he started to slowly drive away, making a right-hand turn onto 22nd Road.
Patrol officers from the 109th Precinct, responding to a 911 call made by the Uber driver as the incident unfolded, arrived on the scene and began pursuing Dubuisson.
Narcotics detectives returning from a nearby search warrant operation spotted the patrol officers attempting to make the apprehension and tried to assist by blocking the car.
In the chaos, patrol officers opened fire, and the detective was inadvertently struck twice, Tisch said.
“Our officer is in stable condition and is both conscious and alert. I am pleased to report that I met with him and his family, and he is in good spirits. He is in surgery,” Tisch added.
Dubuisson was not injured during the incident and was taken into custody at the scene. No firearm was recovered from him.
Tisch said Dubuisson had already attempted two other carjackings that morning and described him as a four-time convicted felon with at least 10 prior arrests, including knife-point robberies and assaults on police officers. He was released from prison in March on parole for robbery, and just a day before Friday’s carjacking had been arrested for theft of service in Manhattan but was released with a desk appearance ticket.
Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said responding officers believed Dubuisson was armed when they arrived, based on the 911 calls of the Uber driver, who described “that the male perpetrator was armed with a weapon,” and from a woman he allegedly tried to carjack on Parsons Boulevard, who “described what appeared to be a firearm.”
The other attempted carjacking allegedly occurred at a Mobile gas station on Parsons Boulevard and 20th Avenue, but Dubuisson was “scared off by employees,” Tisch said, adding that a failed carjacking attempt on a female two minutes later was foiled by her husband, who also scared him off.
Chief Kenny said the preliminary investigation indicates the narcotics detectives were in front of the stolen Uber while patrol was behind, and that it appears three patrol officers opened fire.
“We’ll get the trajectory of who fired what round, but what it appears is that it was a crossfire incident,” he said.
Officials Blast Repeat-Offender Laws
At Jamaica Hospital, city leaders used the incident to criticize the criminal justice system’s “revolving door,” which they say has been perpetuated by legislative changes enacted in 2020. “This is a man who should have been behind bars, not on our streets,” Mayor Adams said.
“This is the definition, I believe, of insanity, arresting the same people over and over again and expecting different results.”
“The NYPD is gathering more information about the crime, but it’s clear that this individual has no business walking free, endangering New Yorkers,” he added.
Tisch said Dubuisson’s release showed how bail reform and parole laws have undermined public safety. “Prior to 2020, an individual out on parole would not have been eligible for a desk appearance ticket.”
“This chain of events, which could have ended quite differently, began because a career criminal, a person who has terrorized victims for nearly a decade, was allowed to continue his violent spree,” she continued. “It is unconscionable that a violent, predicate felon who pled guilty to two more robberies was out on the streets to commit his crimes today. That is criminal justice reform for you.”
President of the Detectives’ Endowment Association Scott Munro called on Albany lawmakers to come back from vacation and “get this fixed”.
“We don’t want to plan funerals. That’s not what we’re here for. We’re here to protect the city of New York. Now we need your help, Albany,” Munro said. “It’s just not about retaining police officers. We want police officers to be safe. That’s what we’re here. We want them to be safe, just like the people of New York.”
The NYPD continues to investigate the shooting, with body-worn camera footage and ballistic evidence under review.
