Nassau County police fatally shoot 19-year-old

Emma Jones
145 NCPD officers had tested positive for coronavirus, while 158 officers are in quarantine and 187 officers have recovered from the virus or come out of quarantine and returned to work.(Photo courtesy of Nassau County Police Department)

An alleged carjacking in Garden City Park ended in a fatal shooting in the Cambria Heights neighborhood of Queens involving the Nassau County Police Department  on Tuesday 

NCPD officers followed a carjacking suspect from Nassau County to Queens, where the victim was shot, the police said. Further details were not immediately released.

The suspect, identified by police as 19-year-old Matthew Felix of Cambria Heights, was allegedly shot by a Nassau County officer or officers at East 217th Street and Linden Boulevard. No officers were injured, according to police.

Nassau County police say that the chase began with an alleged carjacking in Garden City Park. A person allegedly tried to sell a Mercedes on social media and met the victim in a parking lot, police said.

Bureau of Special Operations officers tracked the car to the suspect’s home in Cambria Heights, crossing the border from Long Island to Queens.

They then waited until the suspect left the house and got into another car.

According to Nassau County Police Chief Patrick Ryder, officers attempted to make an arrest as Felix left his house, but Felix drove away.

The police then followed the suspect, who was driving a silver car.

Unmarked police vehicles had surrounded the car on a sidewalk when it sped forward and collided with a storefront. A witness said the officers discharged their weapons when the suspect appeared to begin driving toward the police.

The victim was allegedly shot by plainclothes officers. Police report that the officers were wearing bullet-proof vests that said “police,” and had their shields out.

Surveillance video released on Wednesday shows the moments leading up to the shooting.

The street where the shooting occurred was crowded with shoppers and commuters. Residents said the area is usually packed with children at this time of day.

“There were a lot of people, the commute, going up and down,” said resident Yvette Agosto, who was nearby at the time of the shooting. “Everybody was shopping here. I’ve never seen anything like this.”

Laron Josephs said he was leaving a McDonald’s with his 4-year-old daughter when he heard gunshots.

“I didn’t see anybody inside the car,” Josephs reported. “But by the time I really got to really look, I saw them pulling a person out the car. The person was dead.”

“Scary for me, knowing I have a 9-year-old and thinking the neighborhood should be safe,” commented Agosto.

The NYPD was on the scene since the shooting occurred within their jurisdiction. Police report that no NYPD officers were involved in the shooting.

The victim had a rap sheet in both Nassau County and New York City, police said. They said his criminal history includes the use of a firearm.

The NYPD and Queens District Attorney’s Office are investigating the shooting. Crime scene units are collecting shell casings.

As of Thursday, Nassau police declined to provide details of the circumstances that led an officer or officers to open fire. Police would not disclose if the suspect was armed.

The NCPD told Blank Slate Media that the officers were not wearing body cameras.

The Nassau County Police Department has referred crime scene questions to the New York City Police Department. The NYPD has referred inquiries to the NCPD.

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