Ex-NYPD Cadet Takes Bullet in Stomach
Victim shot outside family's apartment building in the Bronx
By GLENN ZIMMERMAN
Updated 1:15 PM EST, Mon, Jul 6, 2009
Cops are investigating the shooting of a former NYPD cadet who was shot this morning while standing outside of his family's apartment building.
The 23-year-old man, whom the Daily News identified as Tommy Rodriguez, was standing in the entryway of the complex on Avenue St. John in the Bronx when someone fired the bullet into his stomach just after 5 a.m. He was taken to Lincoln Hospital and is listed in stable condition.
Cops are hoping video cameras planted around the building will give them some insight into what happened. At this point, they don't have a prime suspect in the shooting and they don't know why the former cadet was targeted.
Police say Rodriguez, who is reportedly in his 20s, had been suspended from the cadet program pending termination on May 16, but they wouldn't elaborate on the reasoning. According to the Daily News, Rodriguez got himself into trouble after he got into a fight with his ex-girlfriend, the mother of his toddler. Then he was apparently seen hanging out with someone who had an illegal gun.
Rodriguez hasn't been with the department for about six months, an NYPD spokesman said.
Neighbors say the young man grew up in the building where he was shot. Cops say he doesn't live there, but was visiting people who do.
Rodriguez' family members declined to comment on the shooting.
First Published: Jul 6, 2009 10:50 AM EST
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