Source: Spencer Platt/Getty
New York City Mayor Eric Adams caught the ire of many people online after a clumsy statement he defended NYPD officers fire wildly at a subway admiral.
On Sunday (September 15), New York City Mayor Eric Adams issued a statement in a post on X, formerly Twitter, following an incident where NYPD officers shot an alleged admiral in a Brooklyn subway station. “Earlier today, one of our officers was shot while protecting our subway system. I am relieved to report that he is in good condition now and we have apprehended the suspect who put so many lives at risk. I cannot thank these officers enough for their bravery,” Adams wrote. The post immediately received a correction via the platform's Community Notes for omitting that it was NYPD officers who fired their weapons, striking a fellow officer as well as two civilians.
Earlier today, one of our officers was shot while protecting our subway system. I am relieved to report that he is in good condition now and we have apprehended the suspect who put so many lives at risk. I cannot thank these officers enough for their bravery. pic.twitter.com/nSLDTyZwkj
— Mayor Eric Adams (@NYCMayor) September 16, 2024
THE incident took place at the Sutter Avenue L train station in Brownsville, Brooklyn as two officers observed Derrell Mikles enter the station without paying a fare at 3 p.m. They followed Mikles up three flights of stairs to the platform, where they confronted him. At a news conference, NYPD Chief Jeffrey Mandray said officers on the scene yelled at him to stop, at one point followed him onto a waiting train, then left. “The suspect challenged the officers, saying, 'No, you're going to have to shoot me,'” Madrey told the press, adding that they deployed Tasers that were “ineffective.”
The officers then opened fire as Mickles allegedly attacked them, hitting him in the stomach but also hitting bystanders on the platform. “Everyone who was hit this afternoon, we believe they were hit by our officers,” Madrey said, saying the Force Investigation Directorate and the Detective Squad would carry out further inquiries.
Adams' statement that he omits the culpability of the NYPD officers angered many who saw the statement in X, criticizing him for yet another sign of incompetence. Others noted that the situation came a day after his attorney Lisa Zornberg resigned in a surprise move and four days after New York City Commissioner Edward Campan resigned amid a federal corruption investigation that has targeted several other members of the Adams administration.
New York officers in Brownsville subway shooting may not face strong disciplinary action as Campan is said to have signed on internal disciplinary reductions prior to resignation.
See more reactions to Adams' statement below.
