By Stephen Stirling
Police were searching for a man who was shot by a retired city corrections officer last Thursday after robbing a Maspeth Western Union owned by the officer.
Police said the man entered a Western Union check-cashing facility shortly before 8:30 a.m. and demanded money from the owner. Authorities said the man was fleeing with an estimated $30,000 in cash when the former officer opened fire.
A trail of blood at the scene led police to believe that the man had been struck by one of the shots fired by the corrections officer, whose name was not released.
After the shots rang out, police said the man jumped into a late model maroon-colored car and drove toward the Long Island Expressway. Police said they were also looking for a woman seen leaving the scene at the same time in a white SUV, although they were not certain that the woman or SUV were involved in the robbery.
Dozens of police investigators combed the scene last Thursday morning, collecting evidence and surveillance footage from the store, but as of Tuesday no arrests had been made. Police said the investigation was ongoing.
Police were asking anyone with any information to call 1-800-577-TIPS. All calls will remain confidential.
Major crimes in the 104th Precinct, where the robbery occurred, have been up slightly compared with this time last year. Criminal statistics show that all major crime is up more than 5 percent, while robberies have increased by more than 8 percent, from 106 at this time last year to 115 this year.
Major crimes in the area are still down substantially since the 1990s, however, the statistics show. Major crimes in the precinct are down by more than 77 percent when pitted against stats from June 1993.
Reach reporter Stephen Stirling by e-mail at Sstirling@timesledger.com or by phone at 718-229-0300, Ext. 138.
