A man was shot and killed by NYPD officers on Thursday night in the West Village after a road rage incident. The 37-year-old fled the scene of a car crash in a BMW near Bedford Street and Sixth Avenue around 10:50 p.m. He got out of the car and pointed what appeared to be a gun at police. NYPD Assistant Chief James McCarthy later confirmed the object was a fake gun, according to Gothamist.
The sequence of events began after the occupants of another vehicle involved in the crash flagged down officers on patrol to report the incident. "At that moment, a 37-year-old male exited the BMW, drew what appeared to be a firearm and pointed it at the officers, upon observing the firearm, the officers discharged the weapons," McCarthy told ABC7NY. The officers later discovered the weapon in question was an imitation Sig Sauer handgun, which was determined be an air pistol.
Police shot and killed a man who was holding an imitation gun after hearing about 20 shots and giving repeated commands to drop the weapon. Witness Joseph Hoffman said, “It was super scary,” and described the gunfire as sounding like it was inside his apartment. Body‑worn camera footage showed the man remained silent and kept the imitation gun. The two officers involved were treated at local hospitals. Mayor Zohran Mamdani called the shootings “devastating to all New Yorkers” and said the NYPD would conduct a full investigation, as per Gothamist. Manhattan Borough President Brad Hoylman-Sigal noted the dangers of imitation weapons and mentioned state legislation banning them. The NYPD’s force investigation division is reviewing the incident along with another police shooting on Thursday.
