Cop shot in Miami Beach is improving

A New York City police detective shot in South Beach over the weekend is making medical strides.

A New York City police detective critically wounded in a bizarre weekend shooting in Miami Beach is improving, authorities said Monday.

Detective Harold Thomas, 48, was in a medically induced coma on Sunday, following several operations to stop internal bleeding. Miami Beach police Detective Juan Sanchez said detectives have been unable to speak with Thomas to find out exactly what happened.

They do know that Thomas, who was on vacation, was shot about 7 a.m. Saturday in a courtyard at 1233 Lofts, a luxury boutique hotel on Collins Avenue. Thomas, who was armed at the time, fired his weapon at least once. The officer was a guest at the hotel.

The 27-year veteran, a member of NYPD’s Joint Terrorism Task Force, was shot in the thigh, injuring his femoral artery. He remains in critical condition at Jackson Memorial Hospital.

He was vacationing with two other police officers, a New York police source told The Miami Herald. Sanchez said he could not confirm whether the others he was vacationing with were police officers, but he said they were sleeping at the time of the shooting.

Police said they suspect that Thomas, 48, was the victim of a robbery.

Miami Beach Police Chaplain Rabbi Phineus Weberman visited the victim and said he appeared conscious. “His eyes were open and there was a tube in his mouth, so he wasn’t able to speak intelligibly, but I gave him his prayers, his blessings,” he told WSVN Channel 7.

A hospital spokeswoman said Monday that Thomas’ family asked that no information be released.

Sanchez added that there was no new information to report.