New York City police officers fatally shot a man in Brooklyn on Sunday after he attacked one of them with a butcher knife, the NYPD said.

Police said it happened behind the 73rd Precinct stationhouse on East New York Avenue in Brownsville as the man entered through a rear door for authorized NYPD personnel.

Man with knife tried to enter NYPD stationhouse, police say

A female officer stopped the man in the stationhouse vestibule at around 5:30 a.m. and told him, if he needed assistance, he had to use the front entrance, Chief of Patrol Philip Rivera said at a news conference. 

"He then took out a large butcher knife and began attacking the officer," Rivera said. 

The man slashed the officer in the face before he took off running, the chief said. Another officer tried to use a stun gun to stop him, but was unsuccessful, he added. 

Officers chased the man on foot to Saratoga Avenue between Eastern Parkway and Park Place where he lunged at them with the knife, after officers repeatedly told him to drop it, Rivera said. 

"Several officers discharged their firearms and the male was struck numerous times," he said. 

EMS responded and took the man to Brookdale Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, according to police. His name was not released, but police said he was in his 40s.

Local residents were unnerved by the attack and shooting.

"It sounds so random to try to get into a police station through the back," witness Taungenique Williams said.

"I've never seen something like that happen on this street. It's kind of crazy," witness Manny Victor said.

Officer released from the hospital

The entire incident was captured on police body cameras and an approximately 14-inch knife was recovered, Rivera said.

The shooting is being investigation by the NYPD Force Investigation Division.

Mayor Eric Adams posted on social media just before 11 a.m. that he was visiting the wounded officer. That officer was later released from the hospital.

Police Benevolent Association President Patrick Hendry called the incident "a clear targeted attack on New Yorkers City police officers" in a statement.

Rivera echoed that sentiment.

"This incident certainly could have turned out very differently," Rivera said. "Every day, our officers put on these uniforms, they encounter dangerous situations out in the street. But it's another kind of danger when someone comes directly into a precinct armed with a knife and attacks our officers."

"This individual had no fear when he walked into a police precinct and attacked a cop uniformed. There is no telling what he might have done to innocent New Yorkers out on the street. Despite being injured, our sister pursued this individual along with her fellow police officers, and they stopped the threat before anyone else was hurt," Hendry added.