2 NYPD cops shot, another stabbed during confrontation, unclear if related to unrest

An NYPD police officer randomly attacked and stabbed in the neck late Wednesday patroling in Brooklyn, which led to a struggle for the knife and two additional police officers suffering gunshot wounds.
Police said at an early news conference Thursday that a preliminary investigation indicated that a male walk up to the officers casually and whipped out the knife.
"That officer was stabbed in the left side of his neck, thank God, missing an artery," New York City Police Commissioner Dermot Shea said in a press conference.
Two police officers were shot and another was stabbed in Brooklyn on Wednesday night during a confrontation with a knife-wielding suspect, police said.
Shea called it a "completely cowardly, despicable, unprovoked attack on a defenseless police officer."
Soon after, police and the suspect reportedly fought for a weapon, which caused gunfire to strike two officers in the hand, authorities said. Two of the officers involved were assigned to an anti-looting post.
The scene was chaotic. Nearby officers heard the gunshots and responded to find the suspect brandishing a gun police say he likely took from an officer. The suspect was shot multiple times. Police said 22 shell casings were recovered.
Police said one officer was shot in the arm and the other struck in the hand by gunfire. They were rushed to Kings County Hospital and are expected to survive.
New York City has been trying to get a handle on the widespread unrest after the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis police custody. The city has enforced a strict curfew.

New York City police officers watch protesters calling for justice over the death of George Floyd, Wednesday, June 3, 2020, in the Brooklyn borough of New York. Floyd died after being restrained by Minneapolis police officers on May 25. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

The shooting occurred nearly four hours the 8 p.m. curfew.
Mayor Bill de Blasio went to the hospital after the incident to check on the officers, according to a spokesperson. The area was filled with police personnel and vehicles in the hour after the shooting.
"Thank God all our officers will recover," de Blasio said. "It's another example of what it means every day for men and women of the NYPD to protect all of us."
Video purportedly of the incident on Twitter showed streets filled with police cars at the scene, while multiple gunshots could be heard.
"No matter what else is happening around us, we've got to be there for each other,"  the mayor added. "Officers protect us. We have to respect, support, protect them. We've got to find a way to move forward no matter how much is thrown at us. The coronavirus and everything else."
New York City has been roiled by days of protests over police brutality, It didn't appear that the unprovoked incident was related to the demonstrations.
Several large marches in other parts of Brooklyn had continued after the curfew that authorities imposed to stop stores from being damaged and ransacked.
A neighborhood resident said there was no protest in the area at the time of the shooting.
"We have to find a way to come together and move forward," de Blasio said. "Tonight is a story of bravery, courage, and thank god the story ends with a day soon when officers will leave this hospital and go home to their families."
An investigation into the incident is ongoing. Shea said an update will be provided later today.
The Associated Press contributed to this report