BY SEAN EGAN | A man wielding a knife was left dead after a run-in with police led to gunfire during rush hour in Hell’s Kitchen on Wed., May 18.
The man — a 46-year-old from New England whose identity has yet to be released by authorities — was reportedly causing a disturbance in a Food Emporium grocery store at W. 49th St. and Eighth Ave. shortly after 8am, threatening and cursing at customers and employees as he tried to purchase some beer. This aggressive behavior escalated when a cashier asked for ID, prompting a retired law enforcement officer who was shopping in the store to hail down nearby a nearby police officer, while the store’s staff escorted the belligerent man outside.
At this point the responding officer confronted the man, which resulted in a physical altercation that left both men on the ground. As they got back up, the suspect — who had prior knife-related arrests — produced an eight-inch blade, and began to approach the officer, as well as two other officers at the scene who had responded, in a threatening manner.
When the man was ordered to drop his weapon, he refused, and continued to approach the officers, two of which responded by opening fire. Nine rounds were fired in total; the man was pronounced dead at the scene.
One bystander, a 46-year-old woman, was grazed by a bullet, while the officer who initially confronted the suspect sustained a cut on his hand; both were taken to Bellevue.
