NYPD officers fatally shot an armed suspect in Inwood early on Sunday morning, police reported.
According to Chief of Patrol Jeffrey Maddrey, members of the 34th Precinct’s Neighborhood Safety Team — the department’s anti-gun unit — were patrolling in an unmarked vehicle on Nagle Avenue and Dykman Street at approximately 3 a.m. when they came across a dispute in which a man was allegedly waving a firearm in a crowd of people.
“The officers exit their vehicle, they give commands for the person to drop the firearm–they yell repeated commands,” Maddrey said during an early morning press conference.
With the 29-year-old gunman reportedly refusing to drop the weapon, Chief Maddrey revealed that all four members of the 34th Precinct fired their guns, striking the suspect multiple times in the body. He was transported to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead. While police did not name the man, they did report that he is known to them for prior crimes and was on parole.
The officers involved with the shooting were also transported to a nearby hospital for ringing in the ears and to have their blood pressure taken, however, they were otherwise unharmed.
Police recovered a handgun from the scene and also discovered another man who was grazed by a bullet. It’s not immediately clear how the man was injured, Maddrey said Sunday morning.
The exact reason for the dispute and why the gun was being brandished is still under investigation. Police are asking anyone with information pertaining to this incident to call Crime Stoppers.
Anyone with information in regard to this incident is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers website or on Twitter @NYPDTips. All calls are strictly confidential.