Police shoot, kill man with handgun in Brooklyn, NYPD says
More than one minute.
That is how long NYPD officers say they gave an armed man found hiding behind a tree in Brooklyn to drop his weapon before they shot and killed him on Tuesday night.
His death was not tied to ongoing demonstrations, according to a statement by Chief of Department Terence A. Monahan.
Protests have taken place nationwide over the death of George Floyd while in police custody last week in Minneapolis. On Wednesday, charges against former Officer Derek Chauvin who pressed his knee on Floyd’s neck were upgraded to second-degree murder and the other three ex-officers were charged with aiding and abetting in the Floyd homicide.
The NYPD officers, alerted by the ShotSpotter system to possible gunfire near 1668 Bergen St., first found another man who had been shot where Bergen Street meets Rochester Avenue, according to Monahan.
“Witnesses on the scene informed the officers that the perpetrator was further up the block on Bergen Street,” the chief said.
When the officers found that man, “they observed a gun in his hands. The officers gave orders for the male to drop the weapon for over a minute; that is on body camera and on witnesses' Facebook accounts,” the chief said.
He added: “The male refused the orders of the officers. The officers discharged their weapons at the individual and struck him.”
That man, age 34, was pronounced dead and a handgun was found at the scene. His identity has not been released as his family first must be notified.
The gunshot victim the police first found was in stable condition at a hospital, according to Monahan.
The officers were treated for tinnitus.
With AP
Anthony M. DeStefano has been a reporter for Newsday since 1986 and covers law enforcement, criminal justice and legal affairs from its New York City offices.
