Brian Mulkeen, 33, (pictured) was shot dead Sunday

A NYPD cop and a man he was trying to arrest were both shot and killed during a struggle early Sunday in the Bronx.

The NYPD identified the slain officer as six-year veteran of the department Brian Mulkeen, 33.

The officer was shot three times, possibly with his own gun, as he grappled on the ground with a suspect.

'We lost a hero this evening,' Mayor Bill de Blasio said at a news conference outside Jacobi Medical Center Sunday.

Mulkeen was patrolling the streets around a city apartment complex at around 12.30am as part of a unit investigating potential gang activity, Chief of Department Terence Monahan said.

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NYPD investigators are seen above in the Bronx where Mulkeen and his partner were attempting to apprehend an unnamed suspect about 12.30am on Sunday near the Edenwald Houses on East 229th Street

Police released the photo (above) of a .32-caliber revolver that was recovered from the ground where the deadly melee had taken place

Mulkeen and his partner tried to apprehend a man who had fled questioning near the Edenwald Houses on East 229th Street.

The suspect was confronted by three other officers who emerged from a patrol car to question him and a 'violent struggle' on the ground ensued, police said.

The suspect's name has not been officially released, although the New York Daily News identified him as Antonio Lavance Williams.

Monahan said Mulkeen can be heard on bodycam footage yelling, 'He's reaching for it - he's reaching for it', in reference to the gun.

Gunfire erupted and Mulkeen was struck three times, possibly with his own gun, as he grappled on the ground with the suspect who was also armed.

Mulkeen died after he was rushed to Jacobi Medical Center, an area trauma center.

Police have not released the bodycam footage.

Mulkeen was struck three times by gun fire, possibly with his own weapon, as he grappled on the ground with the suspect who was also armed. Cops (above) search the scene of the shooting for more answers as to what happened

Mulkeen can be heard on video footage taken by his body camera yelling, 'He's reaching for it - he's reaching for it,' just before bullets were fired. Cops (above) search the area outside the Edenwald Houses where the deadly melee took place

Meanwhile, five officers, also at the scene, unloaded their weapons and killed the suspect. He was described as a 27-year-old man who was on probation until 2022 for a narcotics-related arrest last year, according to the NYPD.

The suspect also has several prior arrests in 'various places,' including a burglary conviction in Rockland County, police said.

Police released the photo of a a .32-caliber revolver that was recovered from the ground where the deadly melee had taken place.

When asked to confirm whether Mulkeen's service weapon was turned against him, an NYPD spokesman said authorities were still investigating.

The gun used to shoot Mulkeen must still must be sent to a lab to confirm its origin, the NYPD spokesman told DailyMail.com.

A 'brave' Mulkeen was 'doing the job we asked him to do - the job that New Yorkers needed him to do,' when he 'was shot and killed,' said Monahan, in a statement taken while he spoke at the hospital alongside Mayor Bill de Blasio.

'Tragedies like this are not only an affront to the men and women in blue, but to all the people our cops proudly serve,' the chief said at the hospital.

Mulkeen, who lived with his girlfriend in Yorktown Heights, was appointed to duty on January 9, 2013, and served out the 47th Precinct in the Bronx. His girlriend is an officer out of the 44th Precinct, also in the Bronx.

Investigators at the scene after Mulkeen was killed outside a Bronx public housing project are pictured above. Mulkeen is the second NYPD officer killed in the line of duty this year

Investigators (above) worked into the morning hours to determine how events unfolded in the deadly melee that left Mulkeen fatally shot

He had been working with the Bronx Borough Anti-Crime Unit patrolling the streets around the the Edenwald Houses at the time of the deadly shooting.

'It's very painful in every way,' said de Blasio, referring to the heroic officer's sacrifice. and calling for support for the cop's family.

'We have to be there for him. He was there for us,' the mayor added.

Mulkeen is the second NYPD officer killed in the line of duty this year. Detective Brian Simonsen was accidentally shot by fellow officers in February while confronting a robbery suspect.

Chief of Department Terence A. Monahan (pictured above) said a 'brave' Mulkeen was 'doing the job we asked him to do - the job that New Yorkers needed him to do,' when he 'was shot and killed'

'It's very painful in every way,' said Mayor Bill de Blasio (above), referring to the Mulkeen's sacrifice. and calling for support for the cop's family. 'We have to be there for him. He was there for us,' the mayor added

'We've been here too often. We know the directions to get here,' Pat Lynch, the president of New York City's Police Benevolent Association, said at the press conference. 'It has to stop.'

'Brian was a great cop dedicated to keeping this city safe. In fact, just last night he arrested a man in possession of a gun in the very same precinct,' Monahan said.

The fatal shooting, according to the chief, was 'a vivid example of the dangers New York City cops face every day. And, there's never a doubt that our officers will continue to put it all on the line to keep people safe.'

'Tragedies like this are not only an affront to the men and women in blue, but to all the people our cops proudly serve, Monahan added.

The chief thanked people who had already reached out to the department to express their condolences. 'We ask everyone to please keep Officer Mulkeen's loved ones in your thoughts and prayers.'