A police investigation is underway in Jamaica, Queens Thursday afternoon after the NYPD reportedly shot a knife-wielding suspect, police sources said.
According to Chief of Patrol John Chell, police rushed to 89-62 164th Avenue at around 3:40 p.m. after a man was stabbed in the gut a few feet from a church. The dramatic incident unfolded when a woman spotted a man acting erratically. A security guard from First Presbyterian Church stepped outside to confront the man when he was stabbed.
“At this point, the security guard goes back into the church, 911 is called,” Chief Chell said.
Chell went on to report that the man refused to drop the weapon when given orders to do so by responding officers from the 103 Precinct. He apparently then encroached upon them, prompting the cops to fire a barrage of shots, striking the man several times. However, despite the bullet wounds, the man still clung to the knife, resulting in one of the officers tasing the preparator until he relinquished the weapon.
According to police sources, the victim, suspect, and officers were all transported to a nearby hospital where they remain in stable condition. Chief added that while the attacker has no criminal history, he does have a mental illness background.
“I just want to say the actions of the security guard from the First Presbyterian Church that was occupied with many people—he did a great job stopping the male from getting into that location and causing more damage,” Chief Chell said.
This was the second police-involved shooting on April 13. Earlier that afternoon an armed 78-year-old man in Brooklyn was killed in a police shooting inside his apartment on Thursday afternoon after police were investigating reports of a burglary.
