NYC police shoot, kill man with fake gun in West Village standoff
New York City police say officers shot and killed a man who pointed what turned out to be a fake gun at them after a crash in Manhattan's West Village.
According to the NYPD, the standoff happened after officers were flagged down by two people involved in an accident on Bedford Street near Sixth Avenue at around 11 p.m. Thursday, as a BMW driver was trying to leave the scene.
Officers thought man had real gun, NYPD says
Police said the driver was stopped in traffic when officers approached the BMW. A 37-year-old man quickly got out and pointed what the officers thought was a real gun at them, according to investigators.
Cellphone video obtained by CBS News New York shows the chaos that unfolded as police drew their guns. At one point, the officers said to the man, "Drop the gun. We want to help you."
NYPD Assistant Chief James McCarthy said the man did not obey the repeated commands and the officers made the split-second decision to shoot him.
"The subject maintained possession of the firearm, while officers repeatedly gave commands for him to drop the weapon. Officers immediately requested EMS to try to save the individual's life," McCarthy said.
The entire incident was recorded on the officers' body cameras, police said.
"The officers repeatedly, as shown on body worn camera, asked him to drop the gun because they wanted to render him aid," McCarthy said.
Investigators later discovered the gun the man had was not real. A picture of the imitation firearm released by police shows it was tan in color and about the size of a standard handgun.
The man was taken to a nearby hospital and pronounced dead shortly after arriving.
The two officers involved were also taken to the hospital to be evaluated.
Mamdani responds to shootings
The West Village police shooting happened hours after officers fatally shot an armed patient at NewYork-Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital after he barricaded himself inside a room with other people.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani said the shootings were "devastating to all New Yorkers" in a statement posted Friday on social media.
"I know many are eager for answers. The NYPD is conducting an internal investigation — I will work with Commissioner Tisch to ensure this is as thorough and swift as possible. These tragedies are painful, whether they take place steps from our home or miles away. They are a reminder of the immense work that must be done to deliver genuine public safety — work Commissioner Tisch and I are undertaking together every day," Mamdani said.
The NYPD said they were reviewing body camera footage of the West Village shooting, but it was not immediately clear if it would be released.
"The actions they took, they responded swiftly," Mamdani said when asked about the shooting at an unrelated news conference. "And I will always emphasize when someone has been killed, the need for a thorough investigation, as is our current process, and we are going to work to ensure the safety of both officers and New Yorkers at large."
The NYPD Force Investigation Division is looking into the shooting.
"It was way too loud to be fireworks"
Witnesses in the West Village said they heard multiple gunshots.
"So I made a left turn on Bedford and Sixth, and I saw cops with their guns drawn. And as far as I heard from other eyewitnesses, it was a crazy number of gunshots. A guy drove down the wrong way on Sixth Avenue," Kalem Babar said.
Another man said he heard the shots from inside his apartment.
"I was sitting on my couch watching the football game. Heard what sounded like fireworks outside, but realized it was way too loud to be fireworks. It was like 15 shots and a burst, and then like five or six single shots afterwards," he said.
"It's unfortunate, but when you flash a fake gun at a police officer, something is bound to happen," said Samuel Franco, who lives nearby.