Suspect Charged in Shooting of NYPD Cop: Authorities

A 19-year-old man has been accused of shooting and wounding an NYPD officer during a gunfight early Saturday, authorities say.

Christopher Rice was arrested Monday on charges of menacing, assault on a police officer and criminal possession of a weapon, according to the NYPD. Rice was injured in Saturday's violence in the Bronx's Mott Haven neighborhood and has been in custody since then.

Authorities allege that Rice shot officer Sherrod Stuart in the ankle early Saturday when the 25-year-old cop and other officers responded to a fight that broke out at a large party at Third Avenue and East 137th Street.

Police went to the scene after receiving a report of a street brawl involving guns, bats and knives. Cops chased a man later determined to be Rice after arriving at the scene.

Stuart was shot in the ankle during the chase, but he shot the suspect four times, police say.

Happy to see our officer recovering & in good spirits after being shot in the foot early this morning in the Bronx. pic.twitter.com/3VUZombcSv
— Commissioner Bratton (@CommissBratton) January 9, 2016

Rice was taken to the hospital in serious condition and was arrested after receiving treatment.

Rice, who has five prior arrests, had been released from custody only three hours before the shooting after being charged with fare-beating.

Following the fight, five people were hospitalized with stab wounds, NYPD Police Commissioner Bill Bratton said. A semi-automatic firearm was found near where Stuart was shot, and three other guns were recovered from the surrounding area, Bratton said