Officer Vanesa Medina leaves Richmond University Hospital on Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2019 at approximately 1 p.m., after receiving treatment for a gunshot wound to the hand she received in Stapleton on Tuesday morning. (Staten Island Advance/Shira Stoll
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.-- She’s a wife, a mother and a “tough-as-nails” immigrant who tries to make a difference on the North Shore of Staten Island.
That’s how a colleague describes NYPD officer Vanesa Medina, who was shot in the hand Tuesday in Stapleton while attempting to arrest a man accused of past domestic violence.
Video of a chaotic scene on Prince Street shows Medina with a look of panic on her face and blood flowing from her hand as officers escort her to a squad car.
Another officer desperately performs chest compressions on 39-year-old Gregory Edwards, who appears unresponsive, while a bystander is seen calling 911 for an ambulance.
In 2004, Edwards was charged in a shooting in New Brighton when two people were wounded. Seven years later, he was accused of firing four bullets into the front of a home on Treadwell Avenue in Port Richmond, police said.
According to friends and neighbors of Edwards at the scene Tuesday, those years were behind him, and from what they knew he was a father working at Amazon and hanging out with friends Tuesday after a shift.
“Everybody goes through bad s--- in their life,” said Eric Marshal, 36. “At this age (he) just wanted to work and relax.”
Throughout the investigation Tuesday, a crowd of residents shouted at officers to “stop laughing,” and to stop the “fist bumps," out of respect for the dead.
But at the heart of the matter, said Medina’s colleague, was a woman who was trying to protect another woman who told police she was the victim of domestic violence.
“It’s hurtful," he said. “My sister just got injured on the job, doing her job, being bashed through the whole process.”
Police Commissioner James O’Neill said the incident began when Medina and her partner responded to a report of a past domestic assault and met the victim on Park Hill Lane at around 8:19 a.m. Tuesday.
The relationship between Edwards and the domestic-violence victim is unclear, but police spotted him during a canvas with the victim.
After dropping the domestic-violence victim off at a safe distance and calling two additional officers for backup, the four cops approached Edwards near the intersection of Prince Street and Mickaradan Court, police said. O’Neill said Edwards immediately became combative.
He said officers deployed a taser, which prompted Edwards to draw his firearm. O’Neill said the taser struck Edwards and he fired twice. Officers then fired three times. Medina was struck in the hand, and Edwards was killed.
Police Commissioner James O’Neill said the incident began when Medina and her partner responded to a report of a past domestic assault and met the victim on Park Hill Lane at around 8:19 a.m. Tuesday.
The relationship between Edwards and the domestic-violence victim is unclear, but police spotted him during a canvas with the victim.
After dropping the domestic-violence victim off at a safe distance and calling two additional officers for backup, the four cops approached Edwards near the intersection of Prince Street and Mickaradan Court, police said. O’Neill said Edwards immediately became combative.
He said officers deployed a taser, which prompted Edwards to draw his firearm. O’Neill said the taser struck Edwards and he fired twice. Officers then fired three times. Medina was struck in the hand, and Edwards was killed.
The Legal Aid Society released a statement Wednesday about Edwards, a former Legal Aid client, saying the NYPD should release all un-redacted body-worn camera footage, along with the names of the officers involved in the shooting, so his family has a full account of the incident.
“Our hearts ache for Mr. Edwards’ family and his community who suffer these tragedies regularly and more than any community should endure," said Christopher Pisciotta, attorney-in-charge of the Staten Island Trial Office. “City Hall and the NYPD must work towards ways to deescalate these situations that too often end in gunfire and loss of life.”
Medina, an immigrant from Argentina who grew up wanting to join the force, was escorted by her family Wednesday from Richmond University Medical Center in West Brighton to a roaring ovation from more than 100 fellow officers, a band of bagpipers and medical staff.
“She interacts with the community, she doesn’t just stay in the car," said her colleague. “And despite the conditions she’s surrounded by, she still approaches people with ‘excuse me, sir, can I talk to you about A, B or C.'"