Photo: Mario Tama / Getty Images News / Getty Images
Early Sunday (September 7), New York City police officers shot and killed a 35-year-old man who allegedly attacked an officer with a butcher knife at the 73rd Precinct station house in Brooklyn. The suspect entered the station house through a door marked for authorized personnel only and was confronted by an officer assigned to station-house security. When directed to the front of the station for assistance, the suspect allegedly pulled out a 14-inch butcher knife and attacked the officer, who managed to fight him off. The suspect then fled the station house, still wielding the knife.
According to Chief of Patrol Phillip Rivera of the New York Police Department (NYPD), officers pursued the suspect down the street, repeatedly ordering him to drop the weapon. The suspect allegedly lunged at an officer with the knife, prompting several officers to open fire. The suspect was struck multiple times and taken to Brookdale Hospital Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.
The officer who was attacked sustained superficial injuries and was treated and released from the hospital. Patrick Hendry, president of the Police Benevolent Association union, described the incident as a targeted attack on police officers and praised the officers for stopping the threat before anyone else was harmed.
The motive for the attack is still under investigation, and the suspect's identity has not been released.