A predawn police shooting on the Brooklyn Bridge snarled the morning commute Friday after officers opened fire on a man who charged at them with a knife, according to sources. The NYPD closed the bridge's walkway and warned commuters to steer clear of the Brooklyn-bound side as investigators worked the scene, killing the man.
According to sources cited by the New York Post, officers had responded to a call about someone in need of help when they encountered the man, who was described as suicidal. Sources told the paper the man approached officers with a knife and then lunged at them, prompting police to shoot him. The New York Post reported that the man was killed.
The city's Notify NYC alert system, which is used to warn residents about major police activity and infrastructure closures, sent its first emergency alert about the incident at 4:26 a.m., according to the Shore News Network. A second warning followed at 6:30 a.m., cautioning commuters about road closures, severe traffic backups, and a heavy police presence around the span. The NYPD had separately issued its own warning, per the Post's sourcing, urging people to expect delays and avoid the area of the bridge.
A Commuter Chokepoint Grinds to a Halt
The timing could hardly have been worse for commuters. The Brooklyn Bridge carries a daily average of 103,051 vehicles, 28,845 pedestrians, and 5,504 cyclists, according to the NYC Department of Transportation, and connects Brooklyn and Lower Manhattan. Shutting even part of the walkway during the morning rush caused traffic backups as police worked the scene.
It is not the first time an emergency response has ground the historic span to a halt this year. In July, an unauthorized climber scaled the bridge's suspension cables, forcing police to shut down eastbound lanes during the evening commute while negotiators worked to bring the person down safely. That same month, officers from the NYPD's Emergency Service Unit climbed the bridge's suspension cables to rescue a woman who was sitting in emotional distress over the East River, according to ABC News.
Open Questions About the Shooting
Key details about Friday's shooting remain unresolved. It is not yet known whether officers attempted to use less-lethal options, such as Tasers, before firing their weapons, nor whether specialized units like the Emergency Service Unit or the city's Behavioral Health Emergency Assistance Response Division, known as B-HEARD, were notified or present at the scene. B-HEARD is a pilot program that dispatches mental health professionals and EMS personnel alongside or in place of uniformed officers to mental health crisis calls; the article does not establish how often such teams resolve calls without hospitalization or police intervention.
In a case documented by ProPublica, the NYPD's Force Investigation Division examined firearm discharges, officer tactics, and body-camera recordings. Separately, under New York State Executive Law Section 70-b, the state Attorney General's Office of Special Investigation assesses incidents in which an officer or peace officer may have caused a person's death, according to the Office of the New York State Attorney General.
Questions About Knife Encounters
Questions remain about how NYPD Patrol Guide Procedure 221-01 addresses deadly force and de-escalation.
The incident raises broader questions about police encounters with knife-wielding individuals.
