Officials laid out a detailed timeline, explaining that NYPD officers had not one, but two interactions with the suspect, 37-year-old Derell Mickles at the Sutter Avenue train station.
NYPD officials reveal new details in Brooklyn subway shooting that injured 4, including suspect
During the first interaction with Mickles around 2:50 p.m., officers ejected the suspect from the station for jumping the turnstile. While Mickles left voluntarily, he was seen on video flicking out a knife as he walked away. At the time, officers did not see the weapon.
Officials say the suspect then returned around 3:05 p.m., jumped the turnstile again, verbally threatened the officers and then pulled out the knife.
After more than 30 verbal commands, the officers deployed their tasers.
"And before he deployed the taser, it's important to note that he told the suspect to drop the knife," said NYPD Deputy Commissioner of Operations Kaz Daughtry. "Both officers. Not once, not twice, not three times, but 38 times."
However, officials say the tasers did not stop Mickles.
The suspect then charged the officers with a knife, leading both officers to fire their guns, striking not only Mickles and two innocent bystanders, but one of the officers as well.
"As depicted on body worn camera. Mr. Mickels charged one of the officers and then turned around. The other officer was standing there within approximately five feet. At this time, they both discharged their weapons," said NYPD Chief of Patrol John Chell.
Mickels was critically injured. A 26-year-old was grazed by a bullet and 49-year-old Gregory Delpeche is critical after being shot in the head.
Delpeche, who was in another train car, was on his way to work at Woodhull Hospital when he was shot.
Now his family, attorneys, and local lawmakers, want answers to why the officer fired in a crowded train station, and want to see the body-worn camera footage, saying they don't want to take the NYPD's word for it.
"We don't want to take their word for it, because as it stands today, we do not have a fair and a true story and a full story of the events that happened," said Nick Liakas, attorney.
"I thought it was a prank call because I couldn't believe that out of all the people that get shot, it would be him," said Greg Nougues, Delpeche's cousin. "So that's when, you know, I call my mother and I say to her, 'I've got to go to the hospital to make sure it is true.'"
And the public outrage didn't stop there. On Wednesday night, anti-NYPD protesters caused chaos at the West 4th Street subway station in The Village. They were jumping turnstiles in support of the suspect.
The night before, 18 people were taken into custody during a protest. Seventeen were summonsed for disorderly conduct and another received a desk appearance ticket for criminal possession of a controlled substance.
Top NYPD brass tried to fend off the criticism on Wednesday.
"This is fast moving, fast paced and a stressful situation, and we did the best, we did the best we could to protect our lives and the lives of the people on that train," said NYPD Chief of Patrol John Chell.
Chell said the incident "was not about fare evasion," but rather an incident about "a person in mental stress armed with a deadly weapon."
The NYPD has not yet released the body-worn camera their critics have clamored for, but said during their press conference on Wednesday that they plan to release it in the coming days.
They say it has to be seen by a Brooklyn grand jury first.
In the meantime, NYPD officials are calling what happened to Delpeche a tragedy.
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