A 62-year-old patient admitted to a Brooklyn hospital was shot and killed by New York City police Thursday evening after barricading himself in a hospital room with two other people. The suspect repeatedly refused orders to drop a sharp weapon he was wielding, authorities said.
The suspect had barricaded himself inside a hospital room, trapping an elderly patient and a member of the hospital security team inside with him. The man had cut himself, attempted to injure others and made threats against hospital staff members.
Responding officers arrived at 5:33 p.m. and found the room with blood covering the walls, floor and the outside of the door. When the crazed man appeared at the doorframe holding a bloodied weapon, officers immediately began attempting to de-escalate the situation.
"For more than three minutes, the officers stood outside the door and issued dozens of verbal commands to the subject to drop the weapon," Minch said. "The subject refused to drop the weapon and forcefully tried to close the door to the room multiple times."
Police made multiple attempts to open the door to reach the two individuals trapped inside. Officers deployed Tasers to try to subdue the suspect, which proved ineffective. The suspect then advanced toward the officers while still holding the weapon.
"Officers then discharged their weapons and the subject was struck," Minch said. It is unclear if the initial shots fired struck the man.
Minch said he continued attempting to barricade the door while still holding the two people captive. Officers spent an additional four minutes trying to kick the door open and repeatedly commanding the suspect to surrender his weapon.
He again moved toward the officers with the weapon in hand. Police deployed Tasers once more, but when they again proved ineffective, officers discharged their firearms, fatally striking him this time.
The hospital security worker and elderly patient trapped in the room were evaluated by medical personnel afterwards, though the extent of any injuries remained unclear.
A representative for the NYPD did not immediately respond to a request for comment from NTD.
"This situation could have turned out very differently," Minch said. "The individual threatened to kill hospital staff, barricaded himself inside of a room with an elderly patient and a member of hospital security with a weapon."
The NYPD noted that officers' body-worn cameras captured the entire incident, providing a complete record of the encounter from beginning to end.
The investigation remains ongoing, with authorities still determining how the suspect obtained the weapon while admitted to the hospital. The man's identity has not been publicly released.
Representatives for NewYork-Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital did not immediately respond to a request for comment from NTD News.