A city police officer was saved by his bulletproof vest this morning and now a massive search is underway for the man who shot him inside a Manhattan housing complex.

It happened at 64 Essex Street inside the Seward Park Housing complex on the Lower East Side.

Investigators say Officer Brian Groves and his partner were responding to a call about suspicious activity when he encountered a man holding a silver revolver inside a 22nd floor stairwell.

The officer yelled to his partner that the man had a gun and gave chase.

The gunman turned around and fired one shot at the officer from eight feet away.

Officer Groves fired back four times, but it's unclear if the gunman was hit.

He fled down the stairs.

Groves is listed in stable condition at Bellevue Hospital.

Police Commissioner Ray Kelly says Groves is a seven year veteran of the NYPD.