A Bronx gunman was shot by police officers after the suspect allegedly waved a firearm in transit and terrified straphangers on Thursday night — the third police shooting to occur that day, police confirmed.
Police sources said the incident happened at the 238th Street station above Broadway in Kingsbridge at about 7:55 p.m. on April 13.
According to Chief of Transit Michael Kemper, a man began waving a handgun at commuters on the 1 train line, including children. When officers from the 50th Precinct arrived at the elevated platform the suspect refused to drop his weapon.
“The male refused to comply with their directions and began walking southbound on the train catwalk parallel to the train track. He was walking southbound on the catwalk toward the next stop, which is 231st Street,” Chief Kemper explained.
Cops apparently followed the gunman along the catwalk while advising him to drop the weapon, something the suspect continued to ignore, Chief Kemper charged. Once the individual began approaching the next station, another set of officers blocked his approach, essentially sandwiching him between the two groups of lawmen.
“Again, multiple demands from the officers who were in uniform were given to this male to drop the firearm and he refused,” Kemper added.
Kemper also believes that officers showed restraint seeing as he said that the man allegedly pointed the firearm at the cops multiple times.
Finally, one officer opened fire, striking the man in the hand and causing him to drop the gun. The individual who police say is known to law enforcement was whisked to Saint Barnabas Hospital, where he is expected to survive.
The same could not be said for an armed 78-year-old man in Brooklyn who was killed in a police shooting on Thursday afternoon as officers investigated a reported burglary.
Then mere hours later, police rushed to Queens where they shot a knife-wielding man who apparently stabbed a church security guard in the gut.
