Detective Matthew Gale of the NYPD Emergency Service Unit was released from Kings County Hospital on Tuesday, June 23, to a massive round of applause by a legion of fellow cops after being shot in the leg during a Brooklyn standoff with an emotionally disturbed gunman.
The 15-year veteran Gale was injured after confronting 48-year-old Lamin Simmons at 190 Kosciuszko St. in Bedford-Stuyvesant on Friday, June 19, at 5:45 a.m.
Simmons appeared to suffer a mental breakdown while feuding with his upstairs, elderly neighbors.
Gale waved from the stretcher and was greeted by top police brass, such as Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch and Chief of Department Michael LiPetri.
“This poor detective had to be here on Father’s Day with his children at home. All the police officers, bosses, and the Police Commissioner are out here today showing support that this detective is finally going home,” Detectives Endowment Association President Scott Munro said.
The standoff began early Friday morning.
According to Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch, cops arrived at the scene after some seven shots were fired inside the brownstone.
When officers from the 79th Precinct arrived, they found Simmons with a firearm and immediately retreated. Things escalated later that morning when Simmons reportedly started throwing a microwave, a lamp, and pots from his apartment window.
Simmons’ wife and son escaped from the home uninjured, but the elderly couple upstairs couldn’t get out.
At 8:52 a.m., ESU officers entered the home and encountered Simmons at the top of the stairs. He allegedly ignored multiple direct police orders to drop his gun and opened fire on the officers, striking detective Matthew Gale in the left leg.
At least four officers returned fire, striking Simmons, who was later taken to Woodhull Hospital and pronounced dead.
Gale suffered a tibial fracture of the left leg as a result of the gunshot wound.
He was rushed to Kings County Hospital, where he is listed in stable condition and is reportedly in good spirits.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani visited with Gale’s wife in the hospital and said he wanted to thank every cop who responded, particularly members of the Emergency Service Unit. “We like to say that when the public needs help, they call the police, and when the police need help, they call ESU. ESU handles some of the most complex and dangerous assignments in this city, and today, once again, they met that danger with uncommon valor.”
“What happened this morning is a reminder that the men and women of the NYPD routinely place themselves between danger and the people they serve,” Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said. “They enter situations that are uncertain, volatile, and often life-threatening. This morning, Detective Gale put his life on the line doing exactly that.”
Detectives Endowment Association President Scott Munro told media he is concerned about those living with extreme mental illness. “It’s getting very scary out there. I think the governor, the mayor, the city council, we have to do something about the emotionally disturbed people. We have to do something in New York City about that. We have a lot of people, not just police officers and detectives, everybody getting hurt. We have civilians out there, the people of City New York. We’re going to have to work on that moving forward.”
In the viral moment that sparked national attention, an NYPD detective came under fire from a barricaded gunman in a Brooklyn apartment building on Friday morning.
Police received a call around 5:45 a.m. reporting at least seven shots fired inside a two-story apartment building on Kosciuszko Street, between Marcy and Tompkins avenues, in Bedford-Stuyvesant. When officers arrived, they heard gunfire coming from inside the apartment. NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said that the officers entered the apartment after getting no response and discovered a man, identified as 48-year-old Lamin Simmons, armed with a firearm.
Officers left the apartment and called the NYPD Emergency Service Unit, a hostage negotiation team and other units. Simmons’ son and wife were able to flee the apartment safely and told officers that he had a history of mental illness.
The gunman, identified as Lamin Simmons, 48, allegedly fired roughly 20 rounds throughout the standoff. At about 8:30 a.m., he hurled large items — including a microwave, lamp and pots and pans — out of a window at officers staged in the backyard below.
As members of the NYPD Emergency Services Unit breached the door at about 8:50 a.m., they found Simmons at the top of the stairs, just a few steps from the elderly couple’s apartment. “Officers told him multiple times to drop the weapon, but he refused. He (then) fired at our officers, striking one officer in the leg.”
Mayor Zohran Mamdani said, “When New Yorkers call 9-1-1, they expect someone to show up. What Detective Matthew Gale did that morning is what so many officers do every day. He put on his uniform, said goodbye to his family, and went to work to keep our city safe.”
The Nassau County Police Benevolent Association also wished Gale “a swift and full recovery,” noting that his brother serves as a representative for the organization.
A GoFundMe created by teammates at Wind Jiu-Jitsu raised more than $3,300 toward a $6,000 goal to help Gale’s family with living expenses and recovery costs, with organizers writing, “Anyone who knows Matt knows his strength, humility, and dedication—both as a detective and as a teammate on the mats. He has always been there for others, and now it’s our turn to be there for him.”