The quick-thinking of Officer Ryan Nash helped stop the suspect from killing more people.
The hero of Tuesday's deadly terror attack in New York has emerged as one of the city's men in blue.
A five-year veteran of the NYPD, 1st Precinct Officer Ryan Nash was reportedly making his normal rounds when suspect Sayfullo Saipov allegedly crashed through a Manhattan bike path, killing at least 8, and collided with a school bus before leaping from his rented pickup truck.
That's when Nash, 28, shot Saipov once in the abdomen, CBS New York reported.
Saipov was taken to a hospital, where he's currently undergoing questioning. Saipov was in critical condition but is expected to survive.
Without Nash's quick thinking, authorities believe the death toll could have been much higher.
"He is a hero — there is no doubt," New York Governor Andrew Cuomo told CBS This Morning.
Nash joined the department in July 2012 and is reportedly a very active cop with more than 50 arrests on his record.
He was taken to a hospital to be treated for ringing in the ears.
Cuomo on Wednesday went on to praise the efforts of Nash and his fellow first responders.
"The NYPD did a great job," he said. "Fire — FDNY did a great job. We have first responders who are heroes. And that's what you saw yesterday."
Saipov is a truck driver who came to the U.S. in 2010 from Uzbekistan, CBS News reported. His most recent address was in Tampa, Fla., but he also had addresses in Ohio and New Jersey since immigrating to America.
In the truck, investigators found handwritten notes in Arabic, where Saipov reportedly pledged his allegiance to the Islamic State.
"This was an act of terrorism... aimed at innocent civilians," New York Mayor Bill de Blasio said. "This action was intended to break our spirit."
But that will never happen, the mayor added.
Police say the suspect acted alone.
