NYPD officer who was shot by parolee in Queens is released from hospital

The NYPD bull who was shot by a Queens gunman was released from the infirmary aboriginal Wednesday afternoon.

Officer Rich Wong, with household and friends by his side, waved to a assemblage of chap constabulary officers arsenic helium was wheeled retired of Jamaica Hospital Wednesday day and met with salutes and a thunder of claps.

Kathryn McKenzie, a doc who helped dainty the officer, said that a tourniquet had already been placed connected Wong’s coiled by his spouse earlier Wong arrived astatine the hospital. Wong was said to beryllium successful “great spirits” arsenic helium was worked connected by doctors.

“He has an wounded to his limb and it’s going to instrumentality immoderate clip to retrieve from that, but it’s amended than being successful captious [condition],” she said. “Couple inches successful a antithetic direction, it would person been a antithetic communicative — [his leg] could’ve been amputated oregon helium could’ve mislaid his life.”

NYPD Officer Rich Wong is discharged from Jamaica Hospital, successful Queens, a time aft being changeable successful the leg, connected Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2024. (Shawn Inglima / New York Daily News)

Wong was changeable successful the limb aft responding to a robbery adjacent Jamaica Ave. and 164th St. successful Jamaica astir 6:30 p.m. Tuesday evening by Gary “Green Eyes” Worthy, who had conscionable knocked disconnected 2 stores connected Hillside Ave. and Guy Brewer Blvd. Worthy was connected beingness parole and had served much than 14 years successful situation aft being convicted of drugs and weapons possession and burglary successful 2009. He was released successful 2021.

A witnesser pointed retired Worthy to Wong and his spouse erstwhile they responded to the scene. Worthy fired 1 changeable successful the cops’ direction, NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said. A wounded Wong fired back, fatally shooting Worthy successful the face, cops said.

“He was coming retired of the Target. The bull told him astir 4 times, ‘Do not run! Do not run!’ After that a changeable rang out,” Henry Jaikeren, a thoroughfare vendor moving crossed the thoroughfare astatine the time, told the Daily News Tuesday. “The feline spun astir and the bull changeable him 4 much times successful the belly. He was dormant connected the ground.”

Patrick Hendry, the president of the Police Benevolent Association union, said connected Wednesday pursuing Wong’s merchandise from the hospital, that the transgression justness strategy is “failing New Yorkers.”

Patrick Hendry, the Police Benevolent Association president, speaking to the property aft Police Officer Rich Wong was discharged from Jamaica Hospital successful Queens, New York, connected Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2024. (Shawn Inglima for New York Daily News)

“When helium responded to that robbery successful progress,” Hendry said, “he confronted this idiosyncratic and helium didn’t cognize what helium was confronting. He didn’t cognize helium was confronting idiosyncratic who was arrested 17 times…and someone who was arrested 7 times portion helium was connected beingness parole. Why was helium retired connected the street? Each clip helium was arrested, wherefore wasn’t helium remanded?”

Along with Wong, a 26-year-old pistillate who was buying connected Jamaica Ave. was besides changeable successful the leg. The pistillate was down Wong and his spouse erstwhile she was hit, cops said.

“She’s going to bash OK,” McKenzie said, “very akin to the officer, precise akin betterment but she is going to bash OK.”

Originally Published: November 20, 2024 astatine 5:58 PM EST