Man holding fake gun fatally shot by off-duty officer on Staten Island, NYPD says
An off-duty police officer fatally shot a man who was holding an imitation firearm, New York City police said at a press conference just after midnight Saturday.
It happened Friday night on William Avenue near Hylan Boulevard in Staten Island's Great Kills neighborhood.
911 caller reported man with gun near diner
According to the NYPD, someone called 911 at around 8 p.m. and reported that a man armed with a gun was behind Andrew's Diner on Hylan Boulevard, but the man then left.
A short time later, police said an off-duty officer was walking on William Avenue and saw the same man who appeared to have a firearm. The officer alerted a second off-duty officer nearby and both confronted the man, repeatedly telling him to drop the firearm, police said.
The man allegedly then pointed the apparent weapon at the two officers. Police said one officer opened fire and shot the man multiple times.
"The officers gave multiple verbal commands for the male to remove his hands from the firearm and to put the firearm down. But he did not comply," NYPD Assistant Chief Melissa Eger said.
"A dangerous and unpredictable situation"
After the shooting, police identified the man as 44-year-old Jesse Campbell, of Staten Island. They said he has a documented criminal history in New York.
The off-duty officers performed life-saving measures on Campbell until first responders arrived, according to police. He was then taken to a local hospital and pronounced dead.
An imitation firearm was recovered at the scene, police said.
"Our officers were confronted with a dangerous and unpredictable situation, and they attempted to deescalate the situation multiple times," Eger said.
Police said the shooting was captured on surveillance video, which is being reviewed by investigators.