NEW ORLEANS — Two NOPD officers were shot in New Orleans East Tuesday night during a pursuit of two men suspected of trying to burglarize cars.
Neither officer sustained life-threatening injuries.
One of the officers, a 5-year veteran, sustained a gunshot wound to the kneecap that may require surgery, NOPD Superintendent Shaun Ferguson said in a press conference shortly after the shooting. The other officer, a 4-year veteran, was shot in the calf.
One of the suspects, described as a 21-year-old man, was arrested after being shot in the right leg by the officers, Ferguson said. That suspect is in stable condition.
The shooting happened in the area around Morrison Road and Bullard Avenue around 9:15 p.m.
Ferguson said the officers were responding to reports of two men pulling on door handles in the area. When they approached the men, they fled.
The ensuing foot pursuit ended in "an exchange of gunfire," Ferguson said.
It was not immediately clear who fired shots first, but preliminary NOPD reports state the suspects fired shots at the officers when they were approached, then the officers returned fire.
One of the suspects escaped, forcing NOPD officers to create a perimeter around the scene to search for him.
Police were still on the scene as of 5:30 a.m. Wednesday.
No description of the suspect was released by the time Ferguson spoke with reporters just after midnight. The NOPD chief said investigators believed the at-large suspect was a man older than 18.
Video footage of the shooting from any cameras that may have captured the incident would be released within 10 days, Ferguson said.
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