Cop walking tall
A day after being shot, he leaves hospital
OFFICER HART NGUYEN, less than 24 hours after dodging death at the hands of a deranged gunman, returned to his Brooklyn home with a smile on his face and his wife at his side.
The 30-year-old cop, his right arm in a sling, beamed Friday afternoon after leaving Jamaica Hospital to a bagpipe soundtrack and the cheers of 200 blue-clad NYPD colleagues.
“I’m doing good,” the happy young cop declared as he entered his apartment building. “I’m feeling good, feeling better.”
The second-year officer’s life was saved Thursday by his bulletproof vest when a mentally ill gunman blasted him three times from close range without provocation.
The vest stopped two potentially lethal shots, while the third bullet struck Nguyen’s arm.
Assailant Andy Sookdeo, who had a history of psychiatric issues, was off his medications and committed suicide inside his parents’ Brooklyn home after shooting the cop, police said.
Nguyen left the hospital accompanied by his wife, his NYPD partner and his mom and dad, all stepping brightly into the August sunshine.
“He’s doing fine,” his father, Charles, told the Daily News. “When I heard (about the shooting), it made me sick to my stomach.
“But when I got to the hospital, I saw all the people, all the police officers outside and inside, and they helped us very much and helped us feel a lot better. Everything is OK. I thank God for that.”
NYPD Commissioner James O’Neill, after visiting with Nguyen and his family, offered a sigh of relief over the officer’s near-death experience.
“Face the facts, we’re lucky he survived,” said O’Neill. “A lot of rounds fired at a very close distance, so he feels real happy to be alive.”
The officer was shot inside the Cypress Hills home after responding to an escalating fight between the gunman and his mother, with Sookdeo’s mom finally dialing 911 for help.
An enraged Sookdeo smashed a television during his rant, sources said, before taking refuge in a back bedroom at the residence on Ridgewood Ave. near Essex St.
As Nguyen approached the room, the 29-year-old suspect flung the door open and started blasting — with three bullets slamming into Nguyen. Two EMTs with him were not injured, and police were not able to return fire.
Sookdeo killed himself after a short standoff with police. A .38-caliber revolver and a .380 semiautomatic handgun were recovered, along with ammo, speed loaders and loaded clips.
Cops found the prescription anti-depressant Zoloft, along with other unidentified pills, at the home.
Law enforcement sources said Sookdeo had scrawled a swastika on the wall and the message, “I die with a joyful heart.”
Family and neighbors were shocked Friday by the violent end to the life of a low-key man.
“Nobody knows what goes on behind a quiet mind,” mused his cousin Laxman Singh, 47. “He was like a brother to me. He wasn’t a violent person.”