A gunman who called 911 on himself was shot and critically wounded by NYPD officers on Staten Island early Thursday in a possible case of “suicide by cop,” officials said.
The gunman was found firing his weapon in the air at a parking lot of a Home Depot in Charleston after he called 911 about 5:20 a.m.
Cops were called to the Home Depot on the popular Bricktown shopping center just off the West Shore Expressway on a report the shooter called in of a man with a gun sitting in a Jeep.
Police are investigating the possibility he may have wanted to die at the hands of police in a “suicide by cop” scenario, police sources said.
When cops arrived at the parking lot near Veterans Road West and Tyrellan Ave. they found the gunman firing into the air, cops said. Officers ordered him to drop his weapon but he refused.
Cops ultimately shot the man, hitting him in the chest. Medics rushed him to Staten Island University Hospital North, where he is in critical condition. Cops are working to determine his identity.
Two cops were taken to area hospitals for evaluation.
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