New York City police fatally shot a man who barricaded himself inside a room at NewYork-Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital in Brooklyn on Thursday, authorities said.
Assistant Chief Charles Minch said the incident began around 5:30 p.m. on the eighth floor of the Park Slope hospital. Officers responding to the scene found a man in a blood-spattered room holding a sharp object.
Police say two people were trapped inside the room
Minch said the man had barricaded himself in the room with two other people: an older adult patient and a hospital security worker. Police said the man threatened to harm himself and others.
For more than three minutes, officers repeatedly told him to drop the object and open the door, Minch said. He refused.
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Taser attempts failed before officers opened fire
Minch said officers used Tasers in an effort to stop the man, but the attempts did not subdue him. Police then tried to force entry by kicking the door, but Minch said the man held it shut.
After a second attempt with Tasers also failed, Minch said the man rushed toward officers with the object, and police shot him.
Minch did not identify the man, saying only that he had been admitted as a patient the day before. He said officers’ body-worn cameras recorded the encounter. The NYPD also posted an image on social media showing what it described as a bloodied, “self-made” weapon.
Security worker evaluated as investigation continues
Police said the security staffer was medically evaluated. It was not immediately clear what injuries, if any, the person suffered.
Sources:
AP News / Man wielding sharp object fatally shot by police in Brooklyn hospital
NYPD News (X) / NYPD post showing recovered “self-made” weapon
