An officer for the New York Police Department discharged their gun at Columbia University while working to clear out pro-Palestine protesters on Tuesday evening, the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office confirmed to The Daily Beast.
The gunfire, first reported by The City, took place at the university’s Hamilton Hall—the building that was taken over by protesters this week as they continue to clash with university officials and cops.
Despite there being hundreds of protesters holed up in the building at the time of the gun being fired, prosecutors told The City that only other NYPD officers were in the immediate vicinity of the scene and nobody was injured.
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In a statement to The City, the NYPD said the Emergency Service Unit officer in question “was conducting an extensive and methodical search of an area of the first floor” when he was attempting to “access a barricaded area.” Using a flashlight to illuminate the area, a firearm attached to the flashlight was accidentally discharged by the officer.
“The round struck a frame in the wall a few feet away. The round did not strike any persons and did not cause any injuries.”
The incident caused rumors to swell at Columbia, as protesters feared their clashes with officers may had reached a potentially fatal breaking point. However, police sources told the New York Post that the gunfire was likely an “accidental discharge” and not in response to any protest activity.
The NYPD later confirmed in its statement, adding that after an immediate investigation, the incident was deemed an accidental discharge.
The district attorney’s office confirmed that it is probing Tuesday’s incident, but has not released a statement.
The scene at Columbia was incredibly chaotic on Tuesday, with videos showing officers climbing into Hamilton Hall by breaching its second floor using a military-style vehicle parked on a closed street outside. The building was raided room-by-room by cops who carried zip ties and riot shields.
The City reported that some officers entered the building with weapons drawn, and that videos spread online showing officers throwing “flash-bangs” into rooms where protesters had barricaded themselves.
Police arrested than 100 protesters in the crackdown, which pushed the tally of arrested protesters above 2,000 at campuses nationwide by Tuesday, the Associated Press reported.
The NYPD did not immediately respond to questions sent by The Daily Beast, and the officer involved in the incident has not been named.
Columbia, which has refused to divest from Israel despite protesters’ demands, has not commented on the incident.
