Suspect caught in shooting of off-duty New York police officer: sources

The man suspected of shooting dead an off-duty NYPD cop during a robbery was caught Monday at an upstate hotel, law enforcement sources said.

The 38-year-old suspect was taken into custody and is scheduled to face charges in the officer’s shooting death Saturday in East New York, Brooklyn, sources said.

The seriously wounded police officer – a 26-year-old married father of two who thought he was buying a Honda Pilot through Facebook Marketplace when he was mugged – remains on life support at Brookdale Hospital.

His alleged shooter, whose name is being withheld pending charges by The Post, has a long criminal record and was currently wanted on a 2019 vehicle and traffic warrant when he was caught, sources said.

His criminal record includes 22 arrests, including grand larceny, molestation and strangulation, sources told the Post.

Police launched a massive manhunt for the accused shooter after the officer was shot in the head during the botched robbery.

The officer and his brother-in-law were carrying $24,000 in cash to purchase the alleged vehicle around 7 p.m. Saturday when the cowardly crook pulled out a gun and opened fire.

The officer’s brother-in-law snatched the fallen officer’s gun from its holster and returned fire as the suspect jumped into a black BMW SUV and sped away.

Police found the abandoned SUV Sunday at 129th Street and Park Avenue in Harlem, where the suspect lives with his girlfriend, sources said.

The BMW belongs to the suspect’s mother, who lives in East New York near the scene of the crime, sources said.

On Monday, the department offered a $10,000 reward for the shooter.

The Post withheld the name of the wounded officer.