Off-duty NYPD officer accidentally shoots himself in Bronx home
The shooting happened shortly after 2 p.m. at a home on Bailey Avenue in the Kingsbridge neighborhood.
More Stories
An off-duty NYPD officer is recovering after police say he accidentally shot himself in the leg while preparing to leave his Bronx home Thursday afternoon.
The officer was identified by family as 33-year-old Demitrious Caceres.
The shooting happened shortly after 2 p.m. at a home on Bailey Avenue in the Kingsbridge neighborhood.
Neighbor Roseann Morales says she had no idea what happened until police and ambulances flooded the block.
"When I came out... I saw all the cops, all the ambulances blocking everything off," she said. "It's so quiet, you could usually hear someone coughing, but we heard nothing."
Caceres' brother, Johnathan, says the family was initially terrified because they did not know how his brother had been shot.
"As soon as I heard, I came running over," he said nervously.
The family says Caceres is OK and is expected to recover.
His brother says Caceres was getting ready to leave when the gun went off as he was trying to conceal it in his holster.
Officers are required to carry their firearms in New York City, according to sources, even while off duty. Investigators are now looking into exactly how the weapon was being handled when it discharged.
Investigators could not process the scene until the homeowner gave them permission to enter the house.
Officers were seen leaving the home shortly after 6 p.m. carrying brown paper bags filled with evidence. Police have not said what was inside.
The investigation remains ongoing.
