NYPD officer shot during carjacking by career criminal, Adams rips justice reforms

He was rushed to a nearby hospital, where police said he was in stable condition and alert and conscious.

The suspect, 28-year-old Kevin Dubois, allegedly tried to rob people at a gas station before he then carjacked an Uber driver parked off a service road in Whitestone, Queens.

Officers from the local precinct as well as narcotics agents responded to the scene just before 9 a.m. and said Dubois displayed what looked like a gun.

Three officers then opened fire and one officer was struck. Dubois was uninjured and collared by police. No weapon was recovered on Dubois.

Dubois is a four-time convicted felon with 10 prior arrests, including multiple knifepoint robberies and assaults on police officers, NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said at a press briefing. 

Tisch, Adams and union representatives all blamed New York state's criminal justice reforms for allowing someone like Kevin Dubois back on the streets.

"Importantly, prior to the criminal justice reforms of 2020, any individual out on parole would not have been eligible for a DAT. Mr. Dubois also has a documented history as an emotionally disturbed person (EDP) with the department prior to the incident with the Uber driver."

Adams also blasted the current legislation and said it allows violent criminals to be set free, putting the public and police officers in danger.

"This is insanity, arresting the same people over and over again and expecting change," Adams said. "The criminal was released yesterday before committing a carjacking today."

Adams said the blame for Friday's shooting rests squarely on the suspect's release.

"For dangerous people to be put back on our streets as recently as yesterday on parole, it sends a terrible signal to our public," Adams said. 

"Regardless of who shot our detective, there's one person responsible for starting the chain of events that landed us in the hospital today," Adams said. "This is a man who should have been behind bars, not on our streets."