Officer fired gun while clearing protestors at Columbia, according to prosecutors

NEW YORK — A spokesperson with District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office confirmed to The Associated Press that a police officer working on clearing protestors at the university fired his weapon inside of the hallways.

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The spokesperson, Doug Cohen said that no students were near gunfire and no one was injured, CNN reported.

The incident was first reported by The City, according to the AP.

Authorities in New York City said that 32 of 112 people who were arrested at Columbia University “were not affiliated with the university, according to the AP.

Mayor Eric Adams blamed the escalated protests on the “outside agitators,” the AP reported.

“We will not be a city of lawlessness, and we will not allow our youth to be influenced by those who have no goal other than spreading hate and wreaking havoc on our city,” Adams said, according to the AP.

About 46 people who were taken in custody have been charged with trespassing and released pending the investigation by the Manhattan district attorney’s office, the AP reported.

CNN and the AP both reached out to the New York Police Department for comment but have not yet heard back.

Students at colleges nationwide have staged protests since war broke out between Israel and Gaza in October.

Hamas launched an attack on Israel on Oct. 7, killing about 1,200 people — mostly civilians — while Israel has killed more than 34,000 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, according to the AP. Israel and its supporters have attacked the protests as antisemitic while its detractors have accused Israel of using the label to silence opposition, the news agency reported.

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Police arrest nearly 300 in protests at Columbia University, CCNY Members of the NYPD detain protesters from the pro-Palestinian protest encampment and Hamilton Hall where demonstrators barricaded themselves inside on April 30, 2024 in New York City. Police arrested nearly 100 people as they cleared the university of demonstrators who were issued a notice to disband their encampment after negotiations failed to come to a resolution. University President Minouche Shafik has requested the NYPD maintain a presence on campus through at least May 17. (Stephanie Keith/Getty Images)

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