A man who allegedly opened fire on two police officers in The Bronx last November was indicted Monday on a slew of charges, including attempted murder.
Charlie Vasquez, 23, has been in custody since the wild Nov. 24 shootout that left Officers Robert Holmes and Alejandra Jacobs wounded.
The cops were answering a 911 call about an armed man outside 2405 Beaumont Ave. at around 8 p.m. when Vasquez allegedly pulled out a pistol and squeezed off several shots, prompting one of the officers to return fire, injuring him.
Police body-camera video released by the NYPD earlier this month captured the shocking encounter, beginning when Holmes, an eight-year veteran, approached Vasquez outside the building and asked him to pull his hands out of his pockets.
Moments later, the two began to struggle, stumbling onto the sidewalk and eventually falling to the ground as shots rang out, according to the footage.
As Holmes struggled with the suspect, Jacobs, an Air Force reservist with one year on the job, pulled out her weapon and fired off five rounds.
Prosecutors said Vasquez allegedly fired at least six shots during the melee, striking Jacobs in the arm. Holmes was shot in the chest. Both were treated at St. Barnabas Hospital and released.
“Thankfully, the injuries the Officers sustained were not life-threatening and they are expected to fully recover,” Bronx County District Attorney Darcel Clark said in a statement.
Vasquez was also struck by gunfire in the abdomen, chest and armpit and treated at the hospital as well. He is expected to make a full recovery.
Police said that, when he was arrested, Vasquez allegedly had a Ruger EC9 9mm on him that was reported stolen in Georgia in 2020.
Vasquez allegedly fired at least six shots during the melee, striking both Jacobs and Holmes though both recovered.
Vasquez — who then-NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea called a “career criminal” in the aftermath of the shooting — has eight prior arrests, at least one of them for criminal possession of a weapon, police sources have said.
At his arraignment Monday in Bronx County Supreme Court, a judge ordered that Vasquez will continue to be kept in custody on the indictment. His next court date is scheduled for April 22.
