Police: Officer fatally shoots man armed with knife at 7-Eleven in the Bronx
NEW YORK -- Police say an officer shot and killed a man armed with a knife in the Bronx on Saturday.
It happened just after 2:30 p.m. at a 7-Eleven on East Tremont Avenue and Barkley Avenue in Throggs Neck.
Surveillance video shows police running into the store after one of its employees went into the 45th Precinct, which happens to be right around the corner, alerting them that a colleague was in danger.
"The male repeatedly walked from the back of the store to the front of the store to the counter and back again to the rear of store and to counter every time a customer left the location," NYPD Assistant Chief Benjamin Gurley said.
Witnesses say the 22-year-old suspect was acting suspicious, and after about 20 minutes, eventually made his way behind the counter. The responding officers were trying to help the employee who was stuck there.
"He was behind the counter with the officer, and he did have that knife as he was removing products from behind the counter," Gurley said.
At the time, they didn't see the knife. Police tell us the suspect ended up in the back of the store near the coffee machine. He was given multiple commands to take his hands out of his sweatshirt pocket, then Gurley says he "produced a kitchen knife and began to lunge at the officer that was giving him verbal commands."
Police say the officer fired one shot. It hit the suspect in the torso. They immediately initiated first aid.
"I was outside drinking my slushie and then I heard the pop pop pop, like that, you know? I seen, like, there was all kinds of action going on. I didn't know what happened. I left, and when I left, I found out from somebody who told me on the phone what had happened because I thought it was just firecrackers," a witness said.
"One of our officers is an EMT and had gauze and had medical supplies on them. So immediately, they got on the ground and they attempted to save this person's life," Gurley said.
The 22-year-old was taken to Jacobi Hospital where he was pronounced dead.
Police say that suspect is known to the NYPD.
The kitchen knife has been recovered as evidence.
We're told the officer who fired that fatal shot will not be placed on administrative leave.
