MTA police officers fatally shoot man in Queens after he allegedly groped a woman
JAMAICA, Queens (WABC) -- MTA police fatally shot a 52-year-old man allegedly carrying a semi-automatic weapon in Queens Friday after he groped a woman, police say.
The man killed has been identified by police as Bashe McDaniel of Manhattan.
Friday marked the third fatal shooting by MTA police officers in the department's 26-year-history, police say. They say it was only the fifth time an MTA police officer has fired in the line of duty. The most recent MTA-police-involved shooting prior to Friday's incident was on March 12, 2011.
Just after 10 p.m. Friday, a 19-year-old woman approached MTA officers inside Jamaica Station alleging that a man had grabbed her breasts and blocked her path on the sidewalk just a few minutes earlier, police say. The woman then showed police a photo she had taken of the alleged perpetrator, who was wearing a distinctive jacket, police say.
Police found the McDaniel minutes later, still wearing the jacket in the victim's picture, near 91st Avenue and Sutphin Boulevard, about one block from Jamaica Station.
When officers attempted to arrest the McDaniel, police say he resisted arrest and reached toward his waistband, refusing to comply with the officers' requests to show his hands.
According to police, McDaniel then fired one shot.
The officers stepped back and drew their services weapons as the McDaniel's semi-automatic firearm came into view, police say. Both officers opened fire, striking McDaniel in his head and body.
McDaniel was pronounced dead at a local hospital.
Police recovered a gun from the scene, and the incident was captured on the officers' body cameras.
Eyewitness News obtained a picture of the submachine gun that was found at the scene.
Both officers were transported to a local hospital for evaluation but were not injured.
Police say McDaniel was on parole for a gun charge, had 12 previous arrests and was wanted for a robbery.
The investigation is ongoing.
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