Police Fatally Shoot Man Holding Imitation Gun After West Village Road Rage Incident
A chaotic road rage crash in Manhattan's West Village Thursday night ended with police fatally shooting a 37-year-old man who exited his car and pointed what appeared to be a weapon at officers.
The encounter began just before 10:55 p.m. at the intersection of Bedford Street and Sixth Avenue, where a BMW driven by the man collided with another vehicle. According to NYPD officials, the occupants of the second vehicle flagged down nearby patrol officers after the crash.
"As officers approached the vehicle which was stuck in traffic, a 37-year-old male exited the BMW, drew what appeared to be a firearm and pointed it at the officers," said NYPD Assistant Chief James McCarthy.
In response, officers discharged their weapons, striking the man. He was transported to Bellevue Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
McCarthy stated that the individual continued to hold onto the weapon even after being shot and while officers gave commands to drop it. “The subject maintained possession of the firearm while officers repeatedly gave commands for him to drop the weapon,” McCarthy said. “The officers repeatedly, as shown on body worn camera, asked him to drop the gun, because they wanted to render him aid. He didn’t say anything.”
One witness described witnessing the BMW being driven erratically on Sixth Avenue. “The wrong way, with its bumper dragging on the ground, around this corner, pursued by a minivan,” the witness said. The BMW reportedly stopped at a stop sign and then reversed into the pursuing minivan. Following that collision, the occupants of the minivan approached police for help.
Authorities later recovered what appeared to be an imitation Sig Sauer handgun at the scene. Police will examine the object further to determine whether it was operable.
The two responding officers were evaluated at local hospitals following the shooting.
This was the second fatal police-involved shooting in New York City within a five-hour span. Earlier in the evening, police shot and killed a suspect who had barricaded himself in a room with a patient and a security guard at New York-Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital.