


A rookie NYPD cop shot more than a week ago was greeted by bagpipes and a round of applause from dozen of cops as he was released from the hospital Friday.
The young officer, Brett Boller, who has only three months on the job, flashed a big smile during the warm welcome from his fellow members of the department and gave photographers a thumbs-up after being loaded into a van.
Flanked by his parents, Boller — who was wearing an NYPD windbreaker and New York Mets hat — was brought out of the Jamaica Hospital following a nine-day stint in medical care for a bullet wound in his right hip, which sources said is a “complicated area of the body” to treat.
Advertisement
Boller was shot on April 5 as he chased down a man who got into a fight with another bus rider in Jamaica.

An MTA bus driver flagged down Boller and his partner, who were working a shoplifting prevention detail just near 161st Street, just after 3 p.m. when two men started fighting over a bus seat.
Advertisement
When the cops arrived, the suspect, later identified as 22-year-old Devin Spraggins, took off.
Boller caught up to Spraggins about a block away, and the two grappled until Spraggins allegedly shot the cop in the hip.
Boller’s partner squeezed off two shot at Spraggins but no one was struck, police officials said.
Video of the encounter shows a panicked kid ducking behind a car to avoid the shooter as he took off.
Advertisement
Cops say Spraggins, who was wearing a mask, jacket and hoodie, entered a nearby parking garage after and dumped his clothing.
The US Marshals Fugitive Task Force grabbed Spraggins about 30 hours later he was charged on April 7 with a slew of charges, including attempted murder.
He was arrested in a house on the 4500 block of Bronx Boulevard in The Bronx and a 9mm handgun was recovered. It was unclear if that was the gun used to shoot Boller but the shell and caliber matched evidence recovered on scene.
Advertisement
Boller is the son of an NYPD inspector in the Brooklyn North precinct and was appointed to the force last July. He just graduated the academy three months prior.
Deputy Mayor Phil Banks said during his weekly public safety press conference that Boller has a long road of recovery ahead of him.