NYPD officers fatally shot a knife-wielding man in the middle of an intersection in midtown Manhattan Wednesday morning. Cops opened fire near 49th Street and Eighth Avenue, not far from the subway entrance, during the busy morning rush.
According to police, a disturbed 46-year-old man went into the Food Emporium grocery store near the intersection and started arguing with the cashier when he tried to buy beer. Cops were called in, and one officer and the man got into a tussle. Then the suspect pulled out an eight-inch blade, says NYPD Chief of Department James O’Neill. Cops, including two reinforcements who rushed to the scene, ordered the man to drop the weapon. He refused and rushed at the officers.
The NYPD fired nine shots; the man was declared dead at the scene. Early images captured from the shooting site show a man facedown in the center of the street, blood pooling near his head and across the pavement. (Warning: Some of these social-media images are graphic.)
At least one bystander was injured in the standoff by an errant NYPD bullet. Contrary to earlier reports, the woman was not slashed by the suspect or arguing directly with him. That person was hospitalized, and her wounds are not believed to be serious. One cop also sustained minor injuries. A witness described an officer as “in tears” after the gunfire.
Cops recovered the weapon at the scene.
The suspect hasn’t been named by police yet. The area near the shooting remains closed to traffic as of late Wednesday morning as cops finish up the investigation.
This post has been updated throughout.
