MTA Police in Queens shot and killed a gunman armed with a submachine gun who opened fire on them Friday evening, the authority reported.
According to the MTA, two members of their law enforcement unit were searching for a suspect in a recent sexual assault when they came across the perpetrator, 52-year-old Bashe McDaniel of Manhattan, near the corner of 91st Avenue and Sutphin Boulevard, a block away from the Jamaica LIRR/AirTrain station, at about 10:30 p.m. on Dec. 29.
When the officers attempted to arrest him, the MTA Police said, McDaniel resisted, and then reached toward his waistband. According to authorities, he refused the officers’ demands to show his hands — and moments later, opened fire with his weapon, which was later found to be a MAC-10 submachine gun with a 30-round extended magazine.
Law enforcement sources said the MTA officers then returned fire, with one of the shots striking McDaniel in the head.
McDaniel was rushed to nearby Jamaica Hospital, where he was pronounced dead a short time later.
The two MTA officers suffered trauma and were also taken to a local hospital for evaluation, the authority reported.
A large section of the street was cordoned-off by both the NYPD and MTA police for several hours as investigators combed over the scene. A array of shell casings could be seen marked by orange cones beside discarded medical gloves.
The investigation remains ongoing. As per policy, the MTA notified both its inspector general and state Attorney General Letitia James about the incident for further inquiry.
The MTA reported that Friday’s incident was just the third fatal shooting in the MTA Police’s 26-year history, and only the fifth time an MTA officer has drawn fire on a suspect while on duty. The most recent MTA officer-involved shooting occurred back in March 2011.
Updated on Dec. 31 at 9:15 a.m.
