Four girls between the ages of 8 and 16 years old were recovering in the hospital after a horrific meat cleaver attack in Brooklyn over the weekend. The man accused of stabbing the girls is said to be a family member. NBC New York’s Erica Byfield reports.
A bloody meat cleaver and kitchen knife were recovered at the scene of a Brooklyn home on Sunday morning where a man was accused of slashing and stabbing four young girls, police officials said at a press conference.
The man, 49 years old, allegedly used both sharp tools as weapons against the girls, ages 8 to 16, at the family home in Bensonhurst. Law enforcement sources say the suspect, Longqian Chen, was the father to the eldest victim and uncle to the other three girls.
NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said one of the girls, an 11-year-old, managed to sneak away and call 911 around 10:15 a.m. to report that she and her siblings had been stabbed by their uncle.
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WATCH HEREPolice rushed to the home on 84th Street and were let inside by a young boy not injured in the bloody melee, who had alerted a neighbor. The officers could hear screams from behind a door and kicked it down to find the suspect holding the meat cleaver covered in blood, according to Tisch.
The two officers repeatedly ordered the man to drop the weapon before firing seven rounds at the man, striking him multiple times, the commissioner said. The shooting was recorded on their bodyworn cameras, she added.
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SIGN UP The suspect and four girls, ages 8, 11, 13 and 16, were all taken to nearby hospitals to be treated, where they remained on Monday. The man was said to be in critical condition.
A motive, officials said, was still under investigation.
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According to family members, the 49-year-old man has a history of mental illness, officials said at the press conference. There has been no prior history of domestic violence at the address, however, they added.
Two of the responding officers were being treated for tinnitus, sources said.
This story is developing.
