UPDATE: Bx Cop Recovering Well at Lincoln Hospital

UPDATE:

By Alicia Cruz

The Black Urban Times

The police officer shot three times during the Melrose shooting Monday afternoon is alert and recovering well, says Police Commissioner Robert Kelly.
Officer Robert Salerno, 25, who is recovering at Lincoln Hospital in the Bronx, is unable to speak but is communicating by writing in response to questions.

Salerno was hit three times while he and two other officer from the 44th Precint responded to a 911 call for a domestic disturbance at the Morissiania Housing projects.
A man, 57-year-old Santiago Urena, had slapped his elderly mother's home health aide and pulled a gun on her. She telephoned 911 and when police arrived, they found Urena had barricaded himself in a bedroom of the apartment with a handgun.

During a press conference, Commissioner Kelly said, "He made it a point to show me what happened and called the three officers who were with him heroes. He drew a diagram showing the apartment, showing the bedroom, showing where he was, and when he was hit, when he went down ... they had to go into the line of fire to save him.

After speaking with the home health care aide about what led Urena to become violent and angry, she told police that Urena became upset after he caught her talking on the phone to someone in the Dominican Republic and slapped her. Police later learned that Urena had been distraught lately after becoming unemployed.

Police are still unclear on whether Urena died as a result from the shots police returned or if he shot himself. An autopsy has been scheduled for Tuesday.

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