A heroic off-duty NYPD officer was shot Wednesday after breaking-up a mugging in The Bronx — but the wounded officer managed to chase down and kill one of the robbers, officials said.
Ivan Marcano, 27, applied pressure to the gunshot wound to his chest while returning fire with his other hand, Commissioner Ray Kelly said.
The bullet that struck Marcano grazed his left arm and entered his chest — just missing his heart — and fractured a rib. He was in stable condition at Bronx Lebanon Hospital last night, surrounded by family.
He was the 12th NYPD cop wounded this year. The violence came just one day after Nassau Officer Arthur Lopez was killed in Queens.
Mayor Bloomberg met with Marcano — a transit officer in The Bronx — and said, “He’s a very lucky guy and he knows it.
“He said he was in a little bit of pain but he’s certainly bright-eyed.”
The drama began around 6:40 p.m. when Marcano was riding with his girlfriend and she noticed two thugs robbing a man of $80 on Harrison Avenue in University Heights, authorities said.
“Give me the money out of your pockets!” one of the brutes barked at the unidentified victim, according to a witness.
After the victim took too much time, one of the muggers pistol whipped him and shouted, “Give me whatever you got!” said the witness.
That’s when Marcano — who has been on the force since 2007 — jumped out of the white Infiniti, flashed his badge and said he was a cop.
At least one of the suspects fired at him.
After he was hit, the two punks hopped into a white Ford Mustang, with a driver waiting for them, and sped off.
Marcano got back into his car and his girlfriend frantically drove toward the hospital.
At Harrison and West Burnside avenues, she repeatedly honked the horn when they stopped at a red light, cops said.
The suspects happened to be in front of them — and moved into the intersection, striking a livery cab.
The cab then struck another car and hopped onto the sidewalk.
As the three suspects ran out of the Mustang, Marcano pursued them on foot.
While taking cover and yelling to passers-by to “get down!” Marcano fired at the perps, Kelly said.
“In a remarkable display of marksmanship and cool under fire, Officer Marcano fired, striking one of the suspects in the head,” Kelly said.
A witness, whose back was turned to the action, said he heard at least 10 shots fired.
“It happened quickly. When I turned around, there was a dead guy laying on the ground under the car,” said the witness.
Marcano then chased after another suspect but was unable to catch him. He then hopped into an ambulance and was rushed to the hospital.
Cops recovered a 380 caliber semiautomatic gun from Mustang.
Marcano’s neighbors recalled how his father’s death on American Airlines Flight 587 that crashed in the Rockaways in 2001 spurred him to go into law-enforcement.
“His mother did really good with those kids. As a result of their dad dying in the plane crash, I think they all wanted to going to law enforcement.”
Marcano’s brother, Victor, who also works in law enforcement said, “I know he did a good thing,” but didn’t want to say more because two suspects are still at-large.
Additional reporting by Erin Calabrese and Larry Celona