Fatal NYPD shooting of Roosevelt Island man seen on bodycam
Harrowing bodycam video shows the moment a knife-wielding maniac charged at unsuspecting NYPD officers in a Roosevelt Island apartment building last month – seconds before he was killed in a hail of gunfire.
The 21-year-old attacker tried to corner three police officers in the 540 Main St. elevator on Aug. 5 and showed no signs of stopping when they displayed their weapons.
The disturbing footage shows the man rushing towards a police officer who pressed a Taser into his chest as a warning signal, but ultimately failed to fire the weapon.
The two colleagues who flanked them quickly pulled the trigger and fired more than a dozen shots at the young man. The video shows he initially survived and continued to wave the knife while lying on the ground.
“Drop the knife!” Officers can be heard shouting.
The man was later taken by emergency services to a local hospital, where he died from his wounds.
His identity has not yet been revealed.
According to the video, the fatal encounter occurred within seconds. which was released as part of the Attorney General’s investigation in the shooting involving police.
The officers had been at the building after receiving several 911 calls from the man’s relatives who said he was threatening them with a knife.
Three had just entered one of the elevators and were preparing to ride it to the man’s floor, while two others tried to open the lobby door with leaflets to wait for backup.
A sixth police officer, watching his colleagues working at the door, turned around as a second elevator descended and the attacker flew out, knife raised.
The bodycam shows the madman attempting to slash the unsuspecting police officer before turning to the three cornered in the elevator.
Several people can be heard screaming nonsensically, but no one was clearly shouting warnings to the confused man until he was riddled with bullets.
Witnesses said the sequence of shots was so rapid that they assumed fireworks had been set off in the quiet neighborhood.
The suspect’s relative told police the man had stopped taking medication and was under the influence of marijuana, Deputy Police Chief Christine Bastedenbeck told reporters the night of the incident.
The Attorney General’s investigation into the fatal shooting is ongoing.
