Gun-toting suspect shot by police in Staten Island is charged with attempted murder

A 24-year-old Staten Island man who was shot multiple times by NYPD officers while firing off a gun in the woods early Thursday faces attempted murder charges for pointing the weapon at officers, officials said.

Patrick Allen was charged with two counts of attempted murder and multiple assault and weapons charges following Thursday’s dramatic scene in Staten Island’s Charleston section, the NYPD said.

Allen, the great-grandson of former New York Post publisher Dorothy Schiff, according to multiple reports, had allegedly been firing his 9 mm Glock handgun in the woods with a friend at around 1 a.m., when two officers responded to the scene.

Allen emerged from the side of a building then turned toward the officers “and drew a weapon,” according to NYPD Assistant Chief Edward Delatorre. The officers opened fire on Allen, who was wearing a ballistic vest. He was struck three times in the left leg and once in the left arm, with one round possibly being stopped by the heavy vest, police said. There is no evidence Allen fired his weapon, officials said.

Allen was taken to the hospital, and later formally charged. News photos show police officers escorting Allen from the hospital on Thursday night to be charged. Amid a flurry of snow, Allen is led away, his left arm in a cast and handcuffs around his waist.

Allen has a criminal record, with several sealed arrests, according to news reports.

It remains unclear why Allen had on the ballistic vest, authorities said.

Police began a manhunt for Allen’s friend, who had run into the woods amid the gunfire. During the search, officers found an AR-15 assault rifle with a scope, spent shell casings and a hunting knife near the scene, officials said,

The other man, Jonathan Derbyshire, 24, was arrested several hours later. He faces attempted assault and weapons charges.

Derbyshire and Allen live together in a two-story beige house on Kreischer Street, near a wooded area where the incident took place.

The black Glock handgun police recovered from Allen had a red barrel, which indicates it is meant for target practice, officials told the New York Daily News.

Near the AR-15, police discovered a .38 Smith & Wesson revolver, a .45-caliber pistol and some prescription pills, the Post reported.

A neighbor told the paper that people often use the woods for illegal target practice.