A career criminal from New York accused of shooting an off-duty cop in the head during an ambush robbery has been taken into custody using the victim’s own handcuffs, according to police sources.
Randy Jones, 38, is the man accused of luring the victim, a five-year veteran of the NYPD, out to Ruby Street and Linden Boulevard in the East New York neighborhood of Brooklyn on Saturday under a ruse to sell him a used Honda after dark, police sources told Fox News.
The victim and his brother-in-law arrived around 7 p.m. with $24,000 cash in hand, sources told Fox News Digital. The area has a dangerous reputation, and authorities say Jones almost immediately opened fire.
The off-duty officer was struck in the head and later hospitalized at Brookdale University Hospital and Medical Center in critical condition, where NYPD Commissioner Keechant Sewell said he was fighting for his life.
NYPD officer shooting suspect Randy Jones, with his hands cuffed underneath an orange hooded sweatshirt. (NYPD)
Police arrested Jones, a career criminal with a lengthy rap sheet, in Nanuet, part of Rockland County, on Tuesday, about 50 miles north of Brooklyn, and captured him using the wounded officer’s handcuffs.
Authorities were expected to give an update on the case later Tuesday morning and include details about Jones’ past.
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The wounded officer is a married father of two, according to authorities. He has been on the force for five years.
Patrick Lynch, the president of the Police Benevolent Association of the City of New York, tore into state legislators during a news briefing Saturday alongside city officials.
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Patrick Lynch, the president of the Police Benevolent Association of the City of New York (PBA), addresses reporters after the shooting of an off-duty police officer. (NYPD)
“It has to end,” he said. “We can’t keep going to hospital emergency rooms and asking for prayers. Yes, we need prayers, but we need more. We need our legislators to sit down now, understand that they were wrong.”
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Fox News’ Lawrence Richard contributed to this report.
