This article is more than 5 years old

This article is more than 5 years old

New York police department officers on Friday fatally shot a 61-year-old bystander during a sting operation concerning illegal gun sales.

An undercover officer shot Felix Kumi, 61, while Kumi was standing behind a man who had pointed a gun at the officer, the NYPD said. Kumi, a father of two, was pronounced dead at a Bronx hospital, just before 1am on Saturday.

The 37-year-old male suspect he was standing next to was shot three times by the officer and hospitalized. He has not been named by police.

Police said another suspect, 28-year-old Jeffrey Aristy, had been arrested and charged on six counts of drugs and weapons charges.

Aristy met the undercover officer in the Bronx, after contacting him about having guns for sale. He then instructed the officer to drive to a residential area of Mount Vernon, which is in Westchester County, north of the Bronx border.

Once they arrived in Mount Vernon, the 37-year-old suspect entered the car, held a gun to the officer’s head and demanded money, police said. The officer complied and the suspect fled. The officer called in backup.

The suspect aimed his gun at the officer, according to the NYPD, and the officer fired three times at the suspect, striking him in the torso. Cumi was struck twice in the torso.

Kumi’s daughter, Rachel Kumi, told the Journal News her father was a bus driver for the Mount Vernon school district.

“He was kind and loving and concerned,” she said. “Very generous. If you ever needed anything, my father would never say no.”

The 37-year-old suspect was in custody on Saturday, with charges pending. A replica gun was recovered, along with the officer’s money.

Tony Isles, who lives near the scene of the shooting, told the New York Times he heard “rapid” shots and saw four people run down the street. Police said nearby vehicles were hit by bullets.

“It was a ton of shots,” he said. “Bap, bap, bap, bap, bap, bap! Then it stopped, and then bap, bap, bap, bap again. I couldn’t count how many shots because it was such rapid fire.”

“I looked out the window,” he said, “and saw people running from the scene.”