A former Columbia University medical student was shot in the face by a police officer who was among cops responding to a call about an armed man menacing people on a Long Island street. Cops allege Adrian Thompson, 27, was armed with a large knife and frightening people in Westbury, where he live s. When officers responded, Thompson allegedly shattered a cop car with his knife; an officer fired a shot but missed, police said. The suspect then went to the other side of the police car, and a different cop shot him in the face. He is expected to be OK and will face charges including two counts of menacing a police officer. No other injuries were reported. A 17-year-old girl who lives in the house behind where the police shooting was, though, nearly got hurt. She and her mother say the gunshot police fired at Thompson and missed hit a fence and then went through a second-floor window, through a closet, and into the girl’s bedroom, just missing her. She said she was about to go to sleep when she felt debris on her arm, heard a loud noise, and smelled smoke in her bedroom. Columbia’s Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons profiled Thompson in a 2022 story about medical students who think deeply about medicine’s role in society, and the school’s role in promoting social justice. “Given the events of 2020 and, really, just living as a Black man in America, I see my role in medicine first and foremost to care for people in need,” Thompson said in the 2022 interview. “I cannot neglect the health disparities, especially in terms of disparate access to advances like telehealth and the differences in quality of care based on whether a person has public or private health insurance coverage.” “Even when I was looking into schools, anti-racism and health equity were at the top of my list,” he added. It’s not clear when, or why, Thompson left Columbia. Officials say police’s only prior run-in with him was April 13. He was behaving erratically and had allegedly sniffed glue. Authorities say he may have mental health issues. According to his neighbors, Thompson and his older brother are respectful, mild-mannered, and intelligent men. They say the men have lived in Westbury with their parents their entire lives. Thompson is expected to be arraigned at his hospital bedside later Tuesday. Attorney information for him wasn’t immediately clear. ...read more read less