NYPD: Knife-Wielding Woman Shot Dead By Police In Queens
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- A call for help ended in a deadly police-involved shooting in Queens Monday evening, when investigators say a woman lunged at officers with a knife.
Police say just before 5:30 p.m., a woman called 911 to say there was a female intruder on the second floor of a home on 69th Street in Maspeth armed with either a razor or knife. They say the same woman who reported the burglar met the officers outside and eventually followed them up the stairs of the home.
That's when an already tense situation took an unexpected turn.
"The 54-year-old woman came at the officers with a knife and lunged at them," Chief Dermot F. Shea said. "One of the officers gave directions to put the knife down. We know this because there is body camera video. Subsequently, one officer discharges his service weapon three times striking the woman in the torso."
Police recovered a knife at the scene, and say they've been called to the home a number of times. While they wouldn't elaborate - one neighbor tells CBS2 he suspected the woman had problems.
"They yelled a lot, I heard them yell pretty frequently," Kevin Tang said. "They did keep to themselves, they just didn't keep the noise to themselves."
Police say another person who lives at the home wasn't present at the time. The NYPD called the whole situation a tragedy.
"What you saw here tonight is how quickly things can develop as you said and how quickly our officers transition from one of unfortunately having to use deadly physical force to rendering aid in attempting to save a life," Shea said.
