An off-duty New York City police officer is accused of shooting his "love rival" in the jaw and then trying to frame the man as an attempted robber. Sergeant Ritchard Blake was undone by surveillance video which captured his entire confrontation with Thavone Santana.
The two men started arguing underneath elevated train tracks in East New York, Brooklyn early Thursday morning. During the argument, Blake pulled out a gun and shot Santana. After Santana fell to the ground Blake pulled a knife from his pocket and dropped it next to his rival. Blake then called somebody on his phone, before reaching down to pick up the knife he dropped.
When officers arrived, Blake said that Santana tried to rob him and he was forced to open fire. But, according to the New York Post, the two men were not strangers and had been fighting over a woman for weeks. The woman is reportedly the mother of Blake's ten-year-old child.
Santana was taken to the hospital and underwent multiple surgeries but is expected to survive.
The NYPD released the following statement about the incident:
"This remains an open and fluid investigation, and the NYPD is coordinating closely with the Kings County District Attorney's office. Video of the incident has been recovered and is under review. The video captures actions that raise serious questions, and require further investigation. Recovered video is being shared with the Kings County DA. The member of service involved in this incident remains on modified duty."