The hero Brooklyn detective who fired his weapon after his partner had been gunned down said today “his instincts kicked in” and had no choice but “to take action” even though he had been shot twice.
PHOTOS: Death of Officer Timoshenko
“I could tell that those shots came from that vehicle,” Det. Herman Yan said during an emotion-filled day of testimony.
“They were really loud,” he said. “I immediately felt a pain in my arm. I realized I was hit and it was a situation where I had to take action.”
Yan and his partner Russel Timoshenko were shot as they approached a stolen BMW SUV on July 9, 2007.
Timoshenko was shot twice in the face from the passenger side and later died.
Yan, who approached the driver’s side, was hit in the left arm and chest – but his bulletproof vest saved his life.
On a surveillance tape shown to jurors in Brooklyn Supreme Court yesterday, the cops are seen getting out of their car on Lefferts Boulevard.
Although details of the shooting appear off camera, Yan said he and his partner approached the car.
In the video, Yan is spotted firing his gun as the men – Dexter Bostic, Robert Ellis and Lee Woods – drove off.
“My instincts kicked in and the first thing I did was retreat a few steps,” said Yan, who showed jurors the injuries to his chest and arm and underwent three surgeries since the shooting. “Simultaneously, I drew my gun out and attempted to return fire.”