Queens was rocked by another fatal shooting involving police on Wednesday less than two days after an officer was fatally gunned down.
According to NYPD Chief of Patrol John Chell, a 19-year-old man, apparently suffering a mental health episode at a home on 103rd Street off 101st Avenue in Ozone Park at about 1:45 p.m. on March 27, dialed 911 for help.
Arriving officers from the 102nd Precinct entered the home and climbed to the second floor, which Chell described as having tight conditions, and were met with the 911 caller who apparently charged at them with a pair of scissors after they attempted to cuff him. The cops swiftly hit the emotionally disturbed man with their tasers, causing him to fall to the ground and drop the weapon.
Yet the incident didn’t end there.
“The mother, being a mother, came to aid her son. By doing so, she accidentally knocked the tasers out of his body,” Chief Chell said. “At this point, the male picked up the scissors again, came at our officers. They had no choice but to defend themselves, discharging their firearms.”
No officers were reportedly injured in the shooting, though the suspect was hospitalized at Jamaica Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. His identity has not yet been released.
Kenneth Clark, a nearby resident, described the scene as it unfolded.
“I didn’t know where they were going in the beginning. And then I saw them go to the first house, knock on the door and eventually somebody let them in,” Clark said to amNewYork Metro. “Then you heard yelling. And then the next thing you heard you heard a shot. And then after that, there was a little bit of silence and then you heard more shots. I’d say probably total there was at least five shots fired, that I thought I heard. And then you just saw more calm cars pulling up and officers running into the house.”
A massive police presence has converged upon the area as part of the investigation. The NYPD advised the public to steer clear of the area while officers proceed with the case.
“Cops are also human beings. They come here to help get this person,” Chief Chell added.
The police shooting occurred less than 48 hours after Officer Jonathan Diller was fatally shot during a vehicle stop in Far Rockaway on the afternoon of March 25. Diller died hours later after taking a bullet to his chest that struck him just below the bulletproof vest he wore.
Diller’s alleged shooter was wounded when the officer’s partner returned fire and struck the suspect in the back. A second individual involved in the shooting was charged Wednesday afternoon. The shooter is also currently at Jamaica Hospital, with charges.
“As our city mourns Officer Diller, our cops still have to be out here 24/7,” Chief Chell told amNewYork Metro.
