NYPD: Masked Gunman Killed in Shootout With Officers

A masked gunman was killed in a shootout with police who confronted him on a Brooklyn street and pursued him into a backyard early Monday, police said.

The shootout unleashed dozens of rounds in a yard in the Brownsville neighborhood, police Chief of Department Terence Monahan said. No officers were injured.

The New York Police Department hasn’t released the identity of the man, who was shot numerous times in the body, Monahan told reporters at a news conference.

The encounter began when three uniformed officers on patrol in an unmarked car spotted a man in a mask around Howard and Dumont avenues around 2:30 a.m.

“He had his face covered walking down the street, which is kind of suspicious on a warm evening, so they went to stop him. He immediately ran,” Monahan said.

As one officer got out of the car and the others drove around a corner, the man pulled a gun and fired on the car, leaving a bullet hole in the passenger-side front door, Monahan said. He said the officer on foot fired back, but the man got away.

About a half-hour later, a resident told police that someone was trying to break into a home on Howard Avenue. Uniformed officers entered the yard of the home and were met with gunfire and responded, getting pinned down for a time before backup arrived, Monahan said.

In all, seven officers fired a total of about 65 rounds, the chief said, adding that police were still counting shell casings fired by the gunman. He was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Police said they found a semi-automatic handgun in the yard, and they have video of the confrontation.