Fausto Gomez, NYPD Officer, Shot In Foot During Struggle With Disturbed Man In Harlem

By Trevor Kapp and Aidan Gardiner

MANHATTAN — A veteran police officer was shot in the foot outside Harlem Hospital Monday morning after an emotionally disturbed man he was escorting grabbed his partner's gun and fired, officials said.

Officer Fausto Gomez, of the 25th Precinct, struggled with the man outside the hospital's emergency room entrance, near 135th Street and Lenox Avenue, about 5:30 a.m., FDNY and NYPD officials said.

"He is all right, treated, and has already been released," Mayor Michael Bloomberg said during a press conference.

Gomez and his partner John Chiode were escorting an emotionally disturbed man into the hospital when the man grabbed Chiode's gun and fired several shots.

"It was 'bang bang' then a 20 second pause, then 'bang,'" said Luis Perez, a street vendor who was nearby. "It was loud. Then all the cops came running down. It was chaos."

The shooter was taken into custody at the scene, an NYPD spokesman added.