Two police sergeants shot and injured in Lower Manhattan, police say

Two police sergeants were shot and injured while responding to an armed robbery in Lower Manhattan Thursday afternoon, and the suspect is in custody, officials said.

The incident happened near Delancey and Eldridge streets on the Lower East Side around 4:15 p.m., police said.

NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said one sergeant was shot in the groin and the other was grazed in the left leg. Both are expected to make a full recovery, Mayor Eric Adams said at an NYPD press conference Thursday evening.

Officials said police initially responded to an armed robbery call at a Mahjong parlor on Canal Street. The suspect was seen on video robbing women of their purses, police said.

When the two sergeants attempted to apprehend the suspect a short distance away on Eldridge Street, the suspect pulled out a gun, according to authorities. A struggle ensued, the suspect fired the weapon, and one bullet struck both officers, Kenny said. The sergeants did not fire back at the suspect, according to the NYPD.

Authorities identified the suspect as 22-year-old Joshua Dorsett. Kenny said Dorsett has three prior arrests — the most recent being in 2022 for criminal possession of a controlled substance — and is currently on probation. A semiautomatic pistol was recovered at the scene, according to Kenny.

NYPD Chief of Department Jeffrey Maddrey said both sergeants have been with the NYPD for more than a decade.

“They’re conscious, they’re in good spirits. It’s great to talk to them,” Maddrey said.

Charges against Dorsett are pending.