Photo shows diss that sparked fight between NYPD commish, top official — as Mayor Adams downplays strife

This was the photobomb that caused the NYPD’s top brass to explode.

A picture posted online appears to show the moment interim NYPD Commissioner Tom Donlon was blocked from a photo op at the New York City Marathon — sparking a heated public scuffle between him and the department’s Chief of Staff Tarik Sheppard, according to sources.

Donlon’s scowling face is visible between the shoulders of Sheppard and Deputy Commissioner of Operations Kaz Daughtry, in the photo taken Sunday of the NYPD running club’s group shot at the marathon’s start on Staten Island and shared on X by a top police official.

Sources said Sheppard pushed his way into the photo, shunting the interim top cop to the background.

The commissioner told Sheppard to butt out and potentially nudged him in the arm, sources said.

The perceived pic diss led to a shouting match between Donlon and Sheppard, who sources said had to be physically separated by NYPD Chief of Department Jeffrey Maddrey.

Mayor Eric Adams downplayed the public fracas — which unfolded in full view of marathon spectators — as akin to a fight between a married couple.

“Just because you have an argument with your spouse, your child, your business partner, doesn’t mean you don’t love them,” he said Monday during his weekly off-topic news conference.

“If that was a signature of you don’t care for the other person in your life, then we’re all in trouble.”

But sources said that there’s no love lost between Donlon and Sheppard, his newly installed chief of staff, who has a history of hotheaded moments.

One NYPD vet contended that the mayor quietly promoted Sheppard to acting chief of staff over the interim commissioner’s objections.

“The mayor totally created this chaotic situation,” a former NYPD supervisor with more than 40 years of experience claimed Monday.

“This is the most disrespectful act towards a police commissioner I’ve ever seen. The mayor who calls himself an ex-cop should be ashamed of himself for allowing this to happen in the NYPD. It is obvious the mayor has checked out and is more worried about staying out of jail.”

Adams said he spoke with both Donlon and Sheppard afterward about his expectations for how they should show “decorum,” but declined to elaborate on this talk.

He also said Donlon could reprimand Sheppard if he believed he did something wrong — an assertion the NYPD vet viewed as unrealistic, given Adams had installed Sheppard.

The animosity stems from an NYPD shakeup after federal agents raided former Commissioner Edward Caban’s home in September, prompting his resignation.

Adams appointed Donlon, a respected former FBI official, as interim commissioner — a decision that sources said rattled many top NYPD officials, including Maddrey and Sheppard, who were given a largely free rein under Caban.

After the stopgap top cop laid down the law during an early meeting, the disgruntled brass launched a behind-the-scenes pressure campaign that prompted the dismissal of Donlon’s executive team, including his former chief of staff, sources said.

Amid the chaos, Sheppard ascended from deputy commissioner of public affairs to acting chief of staff — a move that raised eyebrows within the NYPD, as many police officials learned about it only from social media, sources have said.

Donlon has since had rely on Maddrey, Sheppard and other allied officials to run the NYPD because he’s not familiar with the department’s day-to-day, multiple sources said.

And Donlon can’t get rid of any troublesome brass because Adams won’t let him, even as the mayor wants him to stay until at least Jan. 1, sources said.

Sheppard, who is one of Adams’ friends, faces past accusations of inappropriate, angry behavior.

A woman protester had accused Sheppard of calling her a “b—-” and slamming her head into a bus window during 2020’s George Floyd protests, according to a federal lawsuit.

Civilian watchdogs deemed those accusations against Sheppard “unsubstantiated” — meaning they couldn’t prove his guilt, but didn’t exonerate him, records show.

They did, however, substantiate another protester’s assertion that Sheppard tackled her without issuing any commands before Tasing her — an incident captured on video, according to records.

Sheppard received no discipline for the incident, records show.

When federal agents raided several city officials in September, including Caban, Sheppard called a Post reporter looking for comment a “f—ing scumbag.”

Shortly afterward, Adams called Sheppard’s language “inappropriate” and he claimed to have had a “very stern conversation” with the NYPD’s public affairs office, ordering him to apologize.

The Post has yet to hear from Sheppard. On Monday, he didn’t pick up or return calls from the reporter he had called a f—ing scumbag.

And by Monday, Adams contended he never heard of Sheppard disparaging the reporter or calling a woman a “b—-.”

“If these incidents happened, he should have been held accountable for them,” he told reporters.

Donlon, 71, has long disliked Sheppard, 48, one source told The Post.

“I know that for a fact,” the source said. “How is this guy (Sheppard) now in charge of discipline when he can’t get his own s— in order. Guy calls you a f—ing scumbag, now he’s pushing around an old man.”