NYPD Detective Shot by Repeat Offender, Another Example of Failed Criminal Justice Reforms

A NYPD detective was shot Tuesday morning, February 18th, while executing a search warrant at a Manhattan public housing complex. Officials say the suspect, a repeat offender with multiple prior arrests, was out on parole at the time of the shooting, raising fresh concerns over New York’s parole system.

The incident occurred at the Vladeck Houses on Madison Street just before 8:30 a.m. The NYPD’s Emergency Service Unit had initially entered the apartment around 5 a.m. when the suspect, 35-year-old Edwin Rivera, allegedly fired several rounds through the door, striking an officer’s ballistic shield. Officers did not return fire.

Rivera then barricaded himself inside the apartment using a couch. The NYPD Hostage Negotiation Team attempted to communicate with him and his family via FaceTime. At one point, officers believed a female might have been held hostage inside, but that turned out to be false.

After losing contact, officers attempted to re-enter the apartment, at which point Rivera fired multiple rounds, striking an Emergency Service Unit detective in the left shoulder. Officers returned fire, hitting Rivera several times on the left side of his body. Both Rivera and the injured officer were transported to Bellevue Hospital, where they are expected to recover.

NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch expressed frustration over the circumstances leading to the shooting. “We should not have been at his door this morning in the first place,” Tisch said. “Why was this individual out of jail and in a position to shoot our officers? How is the system set up to allow one person to commit multiple violent offenses while out on parole with no consequences?”

Tisch further called Rivera a “career criminal” and emphasized that he had been on parole four times, including after a November 2024 arrest for criminal possession of stolen property.

“We’re grateful for the officer’s safety, but we’re also angry,” Mayor Adams said. “The shooter is a violent, repeat offender who should not have been out of jail.”

Officials are now pressing lawmakers to address parole policies that allow repeat offenders like Rivera to remain free despite a history of violent and drug-related offenses.

The NYPD recovered a firearm at the scene, and the investigation is ongoing.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the NYPD Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS.