NEW YORK -- An NYPD officer fired his gun inside Hamilton Hall during Tuesday night's operation at Columbia University, the Manhattan district attorney's office confirms.
The DA's office says students were not in the immediate vicinity of the gunfire and that no one was hurt. The incident is now under review by the office's Police Accountability Unit.
In a statement released Thursday night, the NYPD said an Emergency Service Unit officer was using a firearm equipped with a flashlight to illuminate a barricaded area and accidentally fired one shot, which struck a frame in a nearby wall. The NYPD says it immediately conducted an investigation and determined it was an accidental discharge.
Columbia President Dr. Minouche Shafik called the NYPD to help clear Hamilton Hall after protesters forced their way inside the building late Monday night and refused to leave all day Tuesday.
NYPD officers were seen entering campus on foot and through a second-floor window of Hamilton Hall. Edited video released by the department showed officers clearing furniture from stairwells and prying open doors.
By the end of the night, officers had cleared Hamilton Hall and dismantled two encampments on the school's lawn.
Police Arrest Nearly 300 Individuals at Columbia and CUNY Universities
Reports from the NYPD on Thursday revealed that a significant number of individuals, totaling close to 300, were taken into custody during the protests that occurred on the campuses of Columbia and CUNY on Tuesday night. Among those arrested, 27% were identified as being over 30 years old, with an additional 5% being over the age of 40.
Specifically, the NYPD stated that 109 arrests took place at Columbia University.
Further details provided by Columbia University officials indicated that out of the individuals apprehended inside Hamilton Hall, 14 were undergraduates at Columbia, nine were graduate students, and two were employees of the university. Additionally, six students from affiliated institutions and 13 unaffiliated individuals were also among those arrested within the premises.
Sources close to CBS New York have disclosed that law enforcement has been collaborating with numerous schools and colleges to formulate strategies for handling protests.
The president of Columbia University has made a request to the NYPD to continue their presence on campus until May 17, which is two days after the scheduled commencement ceremony at the institution.
