One of the two NYPD officers shot while responding to a robbery call in the Bronx late Monday is a two-tour Iraq war veteran who was set to be deployed to Africa with the army reserves in less than a week, the man's father said.
Andrew Dossi's father, Joseph, told NBC 4 New York that one of the two bullets that hit the 30-year-old cop during the shootout with a robbery suspect in Fordham nearly missed his spine. Dossi's father said that his son, an eight-year NYPD veteran and former Army paratrooper, could have nerve damage and will likely miss his next deployment because of the shooting.
Dossi, an eight-year NYPD veteran, and fellow officer Aliro Pellerano, 38, a nine-year NYPD veteran, were both shot while responding to a call near the end of their shifts. They, along with five other anti-crime unit officers, responded to a grocery store on East 180th Street, and were approaching two men who had just entered a nearby restaurant when one of the suspects opened fire, police said.
The officers returned fire and Dossi and Pellerano were both hit. Dossi was hit in the back and arm, and Pellerano was shot in the arm and abdomen. The duo has more than 600 arrests under their belts over their years on the force, police said.
The man suspected of shooting the officers was later taken into custody, along with another man who checked into a Manhattan hospital with a gunshot wound. Both have criminal records.
Dossi's father said his son may have to undergo two more surgeries in the coming days. He told NBC 4 New York that his son is joking but keeps drifting off.
Dossi knows his job is a dangerous one, his father said, and is always one of the first people to stop and help someone.
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Family members have told Dossi's 8-year-old daughter her father fell down because she doesn't understand what happened to him.
A man who lived in the Washington Heights building where Pellerano grew up said the 38-year-old officer is a good man who is always joking and always has a smile on his face. Pellerano now lives in Garnerville.
