NYPD officers shot a 49-year-old man Monday after he opened fire on them during a confrontation outside a Bronx deli.
Victor Soto, 49, was in stable condition at a hospital following the afternoon shootout near Bainbridge Avenue and East 194th Street, according to Assistant Chief at Patrol Borough Bronx North Aneudy Castillo. The incident unfolded around 3:20 p.m. When Soto entered Sammy Gourmet Deli and began threatening those inside.
Castillo told reporters at a press conference that Soto pulled out his gun, racked the weapon, and pointed it at patrons, causing them to “duck for cover.” He then exited the deli and walked northbound.
Two uniformed officers in an NYPD vehicle spotted Soto “violently slam” the firearm into the deli’s glass window. The officers issued verbal commands for him to drop the weapon.
Instead of complying, Soto pointed the firearm directly at the officers and began shooting while continuing to walk northbound. One of the officers returned fire, striking Soto.
A parent named Alex, who was picking up her child from a daycare located next to the deli, told The Post she witnessed the exchange of gunfire between the officers and the suspect. The daycare’s proximity to the scene added to the alarm of bystanders in the area.
Soto has eight prior arrests on his record, including charges for assaults and criminal possession of a firearm. His history with the criminal justice system spans multiple incidents, according to police.
The officers involved in the shooting were not reported injured. The investigation into the incident remains ongoing.
The Monday afternoon violence erupted in a neighborhood where families with young children regularly pass through, given the daycare’s location adjacent to the deli. The rapid escalation from a disturbance inside the store to an outdoor gunfight underscored the danger to those in the immediate vicinity.