Man killed in police-involved shooting in Chelsea; 2nd person in custody
CHELSEA, Manhattan (WABC) -- NYPD officers shot and killed a 25-year-old man in Chelsea on Tuesday afternoon who was wanted in a felony assault case.
The shooting happened near Seventh Avenue and West 24th Street around 2 p.m.
The suspect was wanted for allegedly assaulting a deli clerk with a glass jar in Chelsea on April 7. He was spotted by an NYPD detective and lieutenant with a Homeland Security Investigations in front of MaximEyes Optical located at 200 West 24th St.
Authorities say that when members of an NYPD and federal task force tried to arrest the man, he headed into the store. Officers gave chase, and that's when police say the man took out a gun.
Members of the task force then fired their weapons several times, striking the man multiple times in the body.
"I heard shots and the guy was on the floor fighting with the police," said an eyewitness named Luis.
The man was taken to Bellevue Hospital in critical condition, and was later pronounced dead.
Witnesses on the busy Chelsea street across from Whole Foods watched as the suspect was taken out on a stretcher.
A man who took video of the chaos says it seemed like something out of a TV cop show.
"Seeing something like this happen live and in person it just makes me worried, every minute there's something happening in the city," said eyewitness Randy Moreno.
A .40 caliber gun was recovered at the scene.
A 26-year-old man who was with the suspect was taken to the 10th Precinct for questioning. It's unclear if he was involved or was a witness.
One officer suffered a minor gash to the head during a scuffle preceding the shooting. He was taken to the hospital for evaluation and was then released.
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