2 New York police officers shot; expected to live

[Zarvan]

2 NYPD officers shot 02:20
Story highlights

• Officers were responding to a robbery call
• Shooter is still at large

(CNN)Two New York City police officers were shot late Monday night in the Bronx, the department said. Both are expected to survive.

The officers were responding to a robbery call at a store. They had a description of the suspect, and when they went to pull over a car, they were shot: one in the elbow, the other in the back, police said.

The shooter is still at large, the department said. That person may also have suffered a gunshot wound, police said.

Police immediately cordoned off the area as throngs of officers arrived.

"This was a rough neighborhood in the 90s and it still is today," said John Cardillo, a former police officer who patrolled the area. "Robberies were common when I worked there and there were many shootings. Armed bad guys with the propensity to shoot someone."


Grappling with loss

The police department is still grappling with the loss of two officers who were killed as they sat in their squad car last month.

The deaths of Officer Rafael Ramos and Officer Wenjian Liu also created a rift between many rank-and-file officers and Mayor Bill de Blasio.

Some officers have accused the mayor of encouraging anti-police fervor because of his support of protests against police brutality. Tens of thousands had taken to the streets after the death of African-American Eric Garner during an encounter with white NYPD officers in July.

At the funerals for Ramos and Liu, many turned their backs as de Blasio spoke.

CNN's Shimon Prokupecz contributed to this report from New York
2 New York police officers shot; expected to live - CNN.com