The FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force joined an investigation Thursday into the recent stabbing of a police officer in Brooklyn, New York.
Authorities were looking into whether the incident that occurred Wednesday night was terror-inspired, according to NBC New York.
“Three NYPD officers were hospitalized after what Commissioner Dermot Shea described as a ‘cowardly and unprovoked’ assault,” the report noted, adding that a terror-linked motivation was just one theory for what may have happened.
The article continued:
Two officers had been on anti-looting patrol near Church and Flatbush avenues around 11:45 p.m. when law enforcement officials say the 20-year-old suspect slashed one of the cops in the neck with a knife. At some point, shots were fired and a nearby sergeant responded. When the sergeant got to the scene, one of the other officer’s guns was in the suspect’s hand, Shea said.
More gunfire went off. Shea said a total of 22 shots were fired. Two officers were struck in the hand. They and the stabbed cop were taken to a hospital in stable condition. The suspect was hit eight times and was said to be critically hurt. His name has not been released but police say he is from Brooklyn. Officials say he has no prior criminal record.
Senior law enforcement sources later identified the suspect as Dzenan Camovic, an immigrant from the Balkan region who had reportedly shared anti-police sentiments on his social media feeds recently.
“Investigators believe multiple officers fired their guns but it’s unclear if the suspect fired the service weapon he grabbed from the officer who was stabbed,” the NBC report said.
The confrontation was recorded on the officers’ body cameras, authorities noted.
Following the incident, Mayor Bill de Blasio visited with two of the wounded officers and met with the third officer’s family, according to the New York Post.
“All our officers are going to recover,” he said at a press briefing. “This is another example of one of the everyday men and women of the NYPD to protect us and our communities no matter what is happening.”
However, in a letter to his fellow sergeants Tuesday, President of the Sergeants Benevolent Association (SBA) Ed Mullins said he knew law enforcement was “losing” the city amid the violent protests and riots following George Floyd’s death, according to Breitbart News.
“We have no leadership, no direction, and no plan. I know you are being held back and used as pawns. I understand. I am one of you! I am doing, and I will continue to do, everything I can to protect you and the people of this city,” he wrote:
I Hear You. Never Give Up. pic.twitter.com/1AuXW4DlIi
— SBA (@SBANYPD) June 2, 2020
“So I am asking you to please stay together and stay strong. Hold the line and protect each other. Stand shoulder to shoulder and DO NOT give up. NEVER GIVE UP!” he concluded.
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