A man wielding a large butcher knife was fatally shot by police after slashing an officer in the face inside a Brooklyn precinct earlier today, authorities said. The violence erupted when the assailant tried to access the 73rd Precinct through a locked front entrance, then moved to the rear where he attacked the officer on duty, according to the Gothamist.
An attempt to subdue the suspect with a Taser was unsuccessful, leading to a chase down several blocks, Chief of Patrol Philip Rivera stated. The situation escalated when the man, reportedly 35-years-old lunged at officers prompting them to discharge their firearms. "An individual walked into a known NYPD building with a large knife and attacked one of our officers," Rivera said in a press conference, as reported by the Gothamist.
The confrontation and subsequent shooting took place around 5:30 a.m. near East New York Avenue and Amboy Street in the Brownsville neighborhood. After the man was shot, he was declared dead at Brookdale Hospital. The injured officer, though initially slashed across the face, is recovering and in stable condition, with the NYPD affirming she's "in good spirits." Two other officers suffered from tinnitus resulting from the gunfire during the incident, reported Eyewitness News.
Details leading up to the confrontation remain unclear, however, both the initial knife attack and the effort to use a Taser were recorded on the precinct's surveillance cameras, "He slashed her in the face, but then she was able to fight him off. He then ran out of the back of the precinct and an officer deployed a taser in an attempt to subdue the individual, but was not effective in subduing him," Rivera detailed in remarks obtained by Eyewitness News. The NYPD’s Force Investigation Division is reviewing the incident, as is routine for police-involved shootings.
While traffic disruptions ensued due to road closures around the area of the incident, operations have been returning to normal following the investigation's initial stages. The NYPD has confirmed the recovery of the butcher knife, measuring about 14 inches, at the scene. Ongoing investigations will shed more light on the motivations behind the stabbing and resultant fatal encounter with law enforcement.
