An NYPD officer shot and wounded an unarmed man in Brooklyn, after the suspect, previously involved in a stabbing, allegedly charged at the police. As reported by Gothamist, the incident occurred last Friday night following police response to a call for a stabbing at a men's shelter on Duryea Place in East Flatbush.
According to police, the suspect fled the scene and was pursued by officers. During the chase, NYPD Chief of Patrol John Chell explained that the man made "multiple intentional movements like he has a firearm," before running toward an officer, forcing the officer to defend himself by firing multiple times, hitting the suspect twice. The suspect was unarmed when the shooting took place, with police recovering a knife and another cutting instrument from the scene, as Gothamist states.
Hospitalized in stable condition, the identity of the 29-year-old man who has a history of violence was not immediately released pending formal charges. The original stabbing victim sustained minimal injuries and is expected to recover fully after being treated at a local hospital.
A similar account was relayed by Daily News, with an added perspective from local resident Byanca Rocker, who after hearing gunshots, saw the wounded suspect. Rocker, questioning the necessity of the shooting, suggested that a taser could have been used initially. "You didn’t have to shoot him! You didn’t have to shoot him!" a man was overheard yelling in the aftermath of the incident.
The 29-year-old man, described by Chell as a convicted felon with prior assault arrests and an arrest for firearm possession, had been involved in a recent slashing with scissors in Manhattan. While EMS rushed the suspect to the hospital, the situation has reignited concerns around police use of force, particularly given the event occurred shortly after another police-involved shooting in Brooklyn.
The NYPD's Force Investigations Division is looking into the shooting. Further details on the number of officers involved in the discharge of firearms have not been disclosed.
