A 29-year-old man was shot and killed by a New York Police Department officer in Queens during a domestic incident, after he reportedly approached the police with a box cutter, authorities said. The encounter took place this morning following a 911 call from the man’s parents regarding a dispute with their son at their apartment in Far Rockaway, as reported by Gothamist.
When police arrived at the family’s building at 1170 Nameoke Street, they entered with the parents to locate their son and found him in the hallway holding a box cutter. NYPD Chief of Patrol Philip Rivera stated that the father initially got into a physical altercation with his son, according to Gothamist. Officers issued multiple commands for the man to drop the weapon in an effort to deescalate the situation.
The man was tasered by an officer after not complying with police commands and then charged at the officers, prompting a second officer to fire their weapon, resulting in the man’s injury, as stated by the New York Post. During the altercation, the father moved behind the officers. The man was quickly transported to Jamaica Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
An investigation into the shooting is ongoing, with officials stating that body-worn camera footage will be used in the review. The names of the officers and the deceased man have not been released. Police released a photo of the box cutter, which appeared to have tape around its handle, during a press briefing following the incident.
