Man with 14-inch knife shot and killed by NYPD officers in Astoria
QUEENS (WABC) -- Police shot and killed a man who they say lunged at them with a knife in Astoria early Monday morning.
The man was shot at the intersection of 30th Avenue and 31st Street just before 6:30 a.m.
Officers encountered the 61-year-old man who was holding a 14-inch knife while responding to multiple 911 calls.
"There were numerous 911 phone calls with a male and a knife acting erratic, and some of the callers thought he was going to stab someone," said NYPD Chief of Department John Chell.
The NYPD said officers first attempted to tase the man, but that proved ineffective. They then engaged in a 56-second dialogue with the man, who was in mental distress, asking him to drop the knife.
But, the man did not. He was captured on video advancing towards the officers, who then opened fire.
He was pronounced dead at Elmhurst Hospital.
"Any time the NYPD interacts with someone in mental distress, we attempt to slow down and deescalate with the situation with the ultimate goal of getting the person the help they need," Chell said. "However, during fast moving and hectic situations with armed persons we are forced to defend ourselves."
The man had two documented incidents of mental disorder with the NYPD.
Police recovered the knife and displayed a picture of it at a news conference.
One of the witnesses who called 911 was grocery store owner Peter Menikou.
"I walked down the avenue and I saw the guy coming towards 31st Street, he went to two or three stores, he had a big knife, wide knife, wide big bag," Menikou said.
The officers involved in the shooting were not injured.
Monday afternoon, Council Member Tiffany Cabán, State Senator Kristen Gonzalez, Assembly Member Zohran Mamdani and Assembly Member Jessica González-Rojas released a joint statement in response to the shooting saying:
"A tragedy happened in Astoria early this morning. While further details and footage of the shooting will continue to bring light to the incident, this is what we have been told so far: Our neighbor with a reported history of mental illness was shot to death by the police because the NYPD used lethal force after being unable to de-escalate a 56-second interaction with a 61-year old man holding a knife. As we await more details, here are things we know: there are glaring gaps in our city's mental health infrastructure. There are glaring gaps in our city's emergency response infrastructure, particularly as it relates to New Yorkers with mental illness. Our community is reeling and our hearts are broken. This is not true public safety."
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