A New York City police officer from Yonkers has been charged with attempted murder in New Jersey over a road rage incident in which he allegedly used his service weapon to shoot another motorist, the Camden County Prosecutor’s Office said Friday.
Hieu Tran, 27, was arrested Thursday at the NYPD headquarters in Manhattan, where the three-year veteran worked in the department’s press office.
Tran was on duty late May 17 when he apparently fired from his SUV, wounding a 30-year-old Voorhees Township resident who was sitting in a truck next to Tran.
According to a probable cause affidavit from Voorhees Detective Cody Skinner, police arrived at the intersection of Route 73 and Cooper Road after reports of a multi-vehicle crash. They found the injured victim in his truck, with bullet marks on the side and three 9mm shell casings in the road.
The victim was hospitalized and remained in critical condition Thursday, the affidavit said.
A review of the surveillance video showed the truck stopped next to the white SUV at the traffic light. Skinner did not specify whether the video captured the shooting, but wrote that the truck then ran a red light and crashed into another car.
Tran’s SUV then ran a red light and drove away.
Detectives followed the SUV to a gas station in Mount Laurel, where Tran purchased gas using a credit card in his name. They also learned that Tran owned a white SUV and eventually discovered that his cell phone had tracked the SUV’s route.
Skinner wrote that detectives obtained Tran’s NYPD-issued service weapon on Thursday and a forensic comparison showed that shell casings found at the shooting scene came from Tran’s gun.
Tran has been suspended without pay, according to the NYPD. Before joining the press office last year, Tran worked for two years at the 28th Precinct in Harlem, where he was credited with 10 arrests. According to his department profile, he had no disciplinary record.
He is charged with attempted first-degree murder, aggravated assault in the second degree and possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose.
He made his first appearance in Manhattan Criminal Court on Friday morning, where he waived extradition and was expected to appear in court in New Jersey later.
This article originally appeared in Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Yonkers NYPD officer charged with attempted murder in shooting
