“I’m not the most pro-police guy,” he acknowledged in an interview later.

In May 2020, Mr. LaFauci protested in Brooklyn after the police in Minnesota killed George Floyd. He later claimed in a lawsuit against the city that the officers had broken his hand with a baton before arresting him. The Brooklyn district attorney declined to prosecute, and the city settled with him for $115,000 without admitting wrongdoing.

This time, he had not been injured physically, but he was disoriented. Had it been 20 minutes since the gunshots rang out? More? He went down to the street, and an officer told him the block was being cleared, so he began the hour-plus walk home, even though friends he texted suggested he call an Uber. He flipped off police cruisers as they raced past him. Several times, he said, he broke down in tears.

‘A Long Road Ahead’

John Chell, the Police Department’s chief of patrol at the time, called the shooting “a tragic situation.” Mr. Adams offered his sympathy, too. “No one wants to see innocent people get hurt,” he said.

But the mayor, a former police captain, also praised the officers for their “great level of restraint,” and he joined police leaders in saying that the shooting had been warranted because Mr. Mickles presented a risk to the officers and others. The police investigation is continuing.

As a result of his injuries from the shooting, Mr. Mickles had surgery to remove a large section of his small bowel and part of his stomach, as well as to repair 15 bullet holes in his arms, legs and abdominal wall, according to a city doctor’s report. He was charged with aggravated assault on a police officer, attempted assault, menacing a police officer, criminal possession of a weapon and theft of services. He has pleaded not guilty.