NYPD says New Jersey man faces charges in apparent friendly-fire shooting

An 18-year-old New Jersey man faces multiple attempted murder and weapons charges in connection with an apparent friendly fire shooting involving NYPD officers in Brooklyn in which a detective was struck in his protective vest.

Camani Bartletto, of West Orange, was charged late Monday with two counts each of attempted murder, criminal possession of a weapon and reckless endangerment, according to the NYPD's press office.

Bartletto allegedly approached an unmarked NYPD vehicle early Sunday in Brooklyn's Crown Heights neighborhood as it sat parked near St. Johns Place and Nostrand Avenue. He had a handgun visibly displayed as he approached the driver's side, the NYPD said. Det. Robert Karroll, a Suffolk County resident, and the other officers got out of their vehicle to confront the man.

Officers fired their weapons and Karroll was shot once in the back of his armored vest "by what appears to be friendly fire," according to a timeline of the incident released by the NYPD.

Karroll and another officer, who suffered contusions on his face and shoulder, were transported to NYC Health + Hospitals/Kings County in stable condition. Updates on their condition weren't available late Tuesday.

The suspect wasn't hit, said Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch on Sunday during a news conference at the Brooklyn hospital alongside Mayor Zohran Mamdani and other police and city officials.

He fled on foot and was taken into custody several blocks away after resisting arrest and the use of a Taser, the department said in a news release.

The officers had been deployed to the area of the 77th Precinct as part of the department's "Fourth of July Violence Reduction Plan," an attempt to stem ongoing violence in the area, according to the release.

Before the shooting, the suspect had pulled out a gun and pointed it in the direction of men standing outside a deli on Nostrand Avenue, the NYPD said. He entered the deli and then came back out with the gun visible, the NYPD said.

Newsday's Anthony DeStefano contributed to this story.