19-year-old man with scissors shot and killed by NYPD officers in Ozone Park
OZONE PARK, Queens (WABC) -- A man wielding scissors was shot and killed by police in the Ozone Park section of Queens on Wednesday afternoon.
Officers were responding to a home on 103rd Street after a mother called about her 19-year-old son acting erratically.
When officers arrived, they were confronted by the man who was wielding scissors.
NYPD officials say the officers attempted to take the man into custody and get him help, but instead, he pulled a pair of scissors out of a drawer and charged at the officers.
The officers initially fired their tasers at the man, in the living room kitchen of his second-floor home, but as his mother rushed to his aid, officials say "she accidentally knocked the tasers out of his body," rendering them ineffective.
The suspect then picked up the scissors and came at the officers again, forcing them to open fire.
"It was chaotic, fast moving and they had to defend themselves," NYPD Chief of Patrol John Chell said.
The man who was shot was taken to Jamaica Hospital where he was later pronounced dead.
The officers were not injured but were taken to an area hospital to be treated for ringing of the ears.
Ken Clark lives on street and heard the gunfire.
"I saw them go to the first house, knock on the door and eventually let them in," Clark said. "Then you heard yelling and the next thing you heard, you heard a shot, and then after that a little bit of silence and then you heard more shots."
Police released a picture of the scissors the man was holding before he was shot.
Chell said the shooting came at a time of mourning for the department
"As our city mourns for Officer Diller, as we recover from this heinous act of violence against him, our cops still have to be out here 24/7," he said. "Defending the community and helping the community. They tried to do that today with a person in mental distress."
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