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Two deputy marshals were shot dead early Friday morning in the Bronx as they tried to arrest a 35-year-old wanted in connection with the shooting of a state soldier in Massachusetts, authorities said.
The man, Andre K. Sterling, was killed as he exchanged fire with MPs, who were expected to survive, authorities said.
One of the marshals was injured in the leg, the other in the leg and arm, according to a statement from the United States Marshals Service. A New York Police Department detective was also injured when he fell while carrying one of the injured deputies in a police car.
The operation, led by U.S. Marshals and the Regional Fugitive Task Force, began around 5 a.m. in the Wakefield neighborhood of the Bronx, law enforcement officials said. The US Marshals knocked on the door of 4085 Ely Avenue and were greeted by a man at the door.
The man, believed to be a friend of Mr Sterling, had invited MPs into the house when Mr Sterling appeared, pulled out a gun and opened fire, the official said. The two deputies drew their weapons and retaliated.
Mr. Sterling was shot and killed; the man who opened the door suffered a head injury in the crash but was expected to survive, the official said.
Marshals had sought Mr Sterling over arrest warrants issued in Massachusetts to charge him with assault with a weapon with intent to murder after he allegedly shot a soldier on Cape Cod last month.
Authorities had followed Mr. Sterling to the Bronx and determined he could stay at the Ely Avenue home, Massachusetts State Police said in a statement. Four Massachusetts state soldiers were present at the operation.
The state soldier’s shooting took place around 11:30 p.m. on November 20, as Mr Sterling was driving a stolen car in the village of Hyannis on Cape Cod, according to a wanted poster from the Massachusetts State Police.
During a traffic stop, Mr. Sterling shot the soldier and fled. The soldier, John Lennon, was shot in the hand and chest but survived, state police said.
Mr Sterling, from Jamaica, was also wanted for two other terms in Massachusetts, including one for identity theft, as well as a narcotics charge in Wyoming, the leaflet said.
Residents of the working-class neighborhood where the shooting took place woke up to the sound of helicopters hovering over streets filled with single-family homes.
Jimmy Wright, 77, said he immediately knew something was wrong when loud sirens surprised him around 4:30 a.m.
“I knew straight away that they were looking for someone,” Wright said. “The helicopters were flying in the street. I knew something was wrong.
Later that morning, police red and blue lights were still flashing outside the house where Mr Sterling was killed. Police walked down the street and cordoned off several blocks.
Noel Murray, 67, said he was just waking up when he heard what sounded like four gunshots. The sound of sirens then invaded the neighborhood, with the arrival of many police and ambulances, he said.
“It’s generally a quiet area,” he says. “You don’t see this every day.”
Another local resident, Sandra Thomas, who lives on Edenwald Avenue, shook her head in dismay. “Everyone is in shock,” she said.
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