Police opened fire on a subway platform in Brooklyn during a confrontation with an alleged fare-beater, striking the man cops said was armed with a knife, two straphangers caught in the fray, and one of the firing officers, NYPD officials said Sunday.
One of those two passengers hit by the cops' bullets, a 49-year-old man, was hospitalized in critical condition after he was hit struck in the head, according to the NYPD.
The two officers who opened fire were assigned to patrol the Sutter Avenue subway stop in the 73rd precinct when they spotted a man skip the station turnstile and walk through an open gate toward the train platform, Chief of Department Jeffrey Maddrey explained at an evening press conference from Brookdale Hospital.
The uniformed duo followed the alleged fare-beater up the stairs to the elevated L train platform around 3 p.m., when they gave him commands to stop and turn around. Maddrey said during a verbal altercation, they "became aware of a knife."
Body-worn camera footage, which Maddrey said he reviewed before the press conference, allegedly showed the man make a verbal threat to the officers. He told the cops, "I'm going to kill you if you don't stop following me," the chief said.
As the encounter continued to escalate, a northbound L train pulled into the station. The train cars opened and the man jumped inside, according to police.
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Maddrey said the officers followed the man, each firing a Taser which proved ineffective in subduing the man. He then exited the train while it was still at the station and charged the officers with the knife, the chief said.
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Both officers had drawn their firearms and shot multiple rounds at the man, 37, striking him several times. He was said to be in critical condition.
In addition to the 49-year-old rider, a 26-year-old woman was grazed by one of the bullets. One of the firing officers was also struck. The chief said he was hit underneath his left armpit, the bullet having just missed his bulletproof vest. Officials said he was expected to make a full recovery.
Maddrey confirmed that no one else had fired bullets on the platform, telling reporters, "everyone struck we believe was by our officers."
Mayor Eric Adams, who also attended the briefing, described the knife-wielding man as a "career criminal" with over 20 arrests.
Interim Police Commissioner Thomas Donlan also attended the press conference, his first since assuming the role last week. He pointed blame for the shooting at the suspect who skipped the turnstile.
“We will be working through the timeline of today, but make no mistake, the events that occurred on the Sutter Avenue station platform are the results of an armed perpetrator who was confronted by our officers doing the job we asked them to do," Donlon said.
Correction: An earlier version of this article stated that one person had died based on statement from two law enforcement sources.
