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Four people were injured at a Brooklyn train station on Sunday night when police officers fired at a man who was brandishing a knife, according to authorities. The victims included the knife-wielding man, a police officer, and two innocent bystanders.
The incident began when two officers approached a man who had entered the station without paying his fare. During the encounter, the man threatened the officers and refused to comply with their commands. He was armed with a knife, prompting the officers to follow him onto a train.
After two failed attempts to subdue him with Tasers, the officers opened fire when the man advanced toward them with the knife. The suspect, a 37-year-old man, was shot multiple times but was reported to be in stable condition.
A 49-year-old bystander was critically injured, and a 26-year-old woman sustained a graze wound. The police officer was hit by a bullet under his armpit, which lodged in his back, but is expected to recover.
Interim Police Commissioner Thomas Donlan, who had just taken office three days prior, assured the public of a thorough investigation into the shooting, expressing relief that the injured officer is expected to be okay.
The confrontation escalated a little after 3 p.m. on an elevated platform, according to Chief of Department Jeffrey Maddrey. The man, upon being approached by officers, threatened to kill them if they continued to follow him.
Mayor Eric Adams called the suspect a “career criminal” with over 20 prior arrests and a history of mental illness. Video footage of the incident has not yet been released, but the NYPD provided an image showing the man holding the knife.
Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) Chairman Janno Lieber voiced concern for the bystanders who were injured, noting that the station, which serves the L line in Brownsville, is equipped with cameras on the train, platform, and entrance.
The NYPD has a troubling history of such incidents; in 2019, officers unintentionally shot and killed two fellow officers during crime suspect confrontations.