Suffolk police officer shot, wounded by gang member during foot pursuit

The Bobster

Senior News Editor since 2004



Suffolk police officer shot, wounded by gang member during foot pursuit​



By
Larry Celona and
David Propper


May 11, 2023 10:00pm
Updated












A Suffolk County cop was shot during a foot chase Thursday by a Bloods gang member who was under police surveillance, authorities said.
The plainclothes police officer was struck in the upper right thigh while chasing suspected gunman Janell Funderburke from his home in Coram at about 1 p.m., Suffolk County Police Commissioner Rodney K. Harrison said during a press conference streamed by News 12 Long Island.
Police had been keeping tabs on Funderburke’s home as part of a robbery investigation and he fled on foot after stepping outside and spotting four police cars, Harrison said.
The wounded cop left the police vehicle he was in and chased after the suspect, yelling that he was police and ordering Funderburke to stop.
Instead Funderburke, 20, allegedly fired twice at the police officer before running into another house where he barricaded himself inside, Harrison said.
After the cop was shot, other officers quickly came to aid and applied two tourniquets to his wound.

Commissioner Rodney Harrison provided an update during a Thursday press conference. Commissioner Rodney Harrison provided an update during a Thursday press conference. CBS News
He’s currently in stable condition at Stony Brook University Hospital and doctors credited the other officers with saving the injured cop’s life, Harrison said.


Funderburke was arrested after a 20-minute standoff. He was charged with attempted murder, and robbery from another case that happened two days ago.

The suspect was later arrested after shooting the officer. The suspect was later arrested after shooting the officer. CBS News
Harrison said the suspect is a Bloods gang member who was previously arrested for criminal possession of a weapon in 2021.


The officer meanwhile has not been identified, but Harrison said is engaged to be married with a 17-month baby at home. He’s been on the police force for six years.

The officer is in stable condition. The officer is in stable condition. CBS News
“This is just a reminder how dangerous it is to be a police officer,” Harrison said.


Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone commended the officers.





“They are literally putting themselves in danger,” Bellone said, calling Funderburke a “dangerous individual who’s the streets who may have harmed or even killed somebody in the future.”
 
Back
Top