Two NYPD officers shot to death a 21-year-old man who attacked them with one of their own collapsible batons during a skirmish in a Brooklyn housing project Saturday, officials said.
Erickson Gomez Brito — who relatives said had struggled with depression and addiction in the past — jumped Officers Jennifer Garcia and Andris Bisogno inside the Van Dyke Houses at 1:30 p.m., police said.
The uniformed officers, members of Public Service Area 2, were investigating a report of a suspicious person in the building when they found Brito on the ninth floor and asked for his identification, according to NYPD Housing Chief James Secreto.
“A conversation ensued (with Brito),” Secreto said. “The next thing you know, a scuffle ensued with this man.”
“At one point the officer removes his metal baton and the subject gets a hold of it and begins assaulting the two officers,” Secreto added.
As both officers were hit in the head they opened fire, striking Brito.
Bisogno suffered a deep, 2-inch gash to his head that required several staples to close, police said.
Garcia suffered bruises on her head and underwent a CAT scan, police sources told the New York Daily News.
