Midtown police-involved shooting: Knife-wielding man killed outside Food Emporium, cops say

Police shot and killed a knife-wielding man after an altercation outside of a midtown Food Emporium near West 49th Street and Eighth Avenue on May 18, 2016. Photo Credit: Courtesy of New York Transit Museum

Police shot and killed a knife-wielding man after an altercation outside of a midtown Food Emporium on Wednesday morning, police said.

The incident happened just before 8:30 a.m. near West 49th Street and Eighth Avenue, according to police.

Garry Conrad, 46, went into the Food Emporium to buy beer and became belligerent with workers at the store, police said.

Cops showed up, confronted Conrad outside of the store, and a struggle ensued, NYPD Chief of Department James O’Neill said.

As Conrad got back on his feet, he took out an eight-inch knife and approached officers. A police officer and sergeant then fired nine shots at Conrad, who was pronounced dead at the scene, cops said. It was not clear as of press time how many shots hit the suspect.

A 46-year-old female bystander suffered a graze wound, and an officer suffered a minor injury, O’Neill said. They were both taken to Bellevue Hospital Center for treatment, according to police.

Conrad, of Harlem, was a Broadway stagehand for at least 10 years, according to Robert Dioguardi, who said he was a friend and recent co-worker.

“I know him to be a kind hearted, thoughtful, caring person,” Dioguardi said of Conrad, adding: “I know that there was a side of him that was behaviorally a little hard to deal with.”

Additional reporting by Alison Fox.