NYPD negotiators trying to talk fugitive out of Staten Island home. Confirmed he is in there alone. #PIX11News
The man who opened fire at police and firefighters, striking one of them, in Staten Island is dead, the NYPD confirmed.
Gunfire and smoke erupted inside a Staten Island apartment as officers tried to execute an arrest warrant for Garland Tyree just before 6 a.m. Friday.
Tyree, 38, fired at cops and firefighters four times, striking FDNY Lt. James Hayes twice — once in the right buttocks and once in his left calf, authorities said. Tyree remained barricaded in the apartment alone and was believed to be armed with an assault rifle, NYPD Chief of Detectives Bob Boyce said at a news conference.
Officers remained in contact with Tyree while he remained barricaded inside, refusing to surrender until speaking with his mother and girlfriend in person. NYPD deployed a helicopter to Delaware to transport his mother to Staten Island. After speaking with his mother and telling her he loved her, Tyree once again opened fire at the officers, striking a police vehicle. Officers returned fire, fatally striking Tyree.
In an initial search of the house, police said officers recovered three hand guns, an AK-47, and a smoke grenade.
Lt. James S. Hayes, 53, of Engine 158 was shot after responding to early morning reports of a fire on Staten Island.
Hayes, meanwhile, was transported to Richmond University Medical Center where he remains in stable condition, a FDNY spokesperson told BuzzFeed News. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio also paid him a visit at the hospital.
Tyree, who has been arrested 18 times, was released from prison in July 2014. Officials said he spent much of his adult life incarcerated after committing a homicide when he was 16. Tyree, who was wanted for violating the conditions of his probation, was also known to the NYPD as a Bloods gang member.