A man shot two officers from the New York Police Department (NYPD) and stabbed another in the neck during a confrontation in Brooklyn on Wednesday night. One of the police officers shot the man in turn, and all four have been admitted to the hospital.
According to the NYPD, the officers and the attacker were admitted at the Kings County Hospital in Brooklyn. NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea said that the surveillance video shows the attack was unprovoked. The Commissioner also said that this was preliminary information and that the details were subject to change.
"Two officers were assigned in 70th precinct to stop people from breaking into stores and looting at Crown Heights and Flatbush Avenue in the Flatbush neighborhood, Brooklyn. At around 11.45 p.m., a man walked up to officers casually, took out a knife and stabbed one of the officers in the left side of his neck," the Commissioner said.
Two blocks away a uniformed sergeant and a police officer heard gunshots from Flatbush neighborhood and they rushed to the spot. When they reached the spot, they saw the perpetrator pointing a gun at one of the officers. The gun is believed to have belonged to one of the officers.
The suspect was shot by the police and is in critical condition. Before getting shot the man is said to have struck multiple times, injuring two officers with gunshots in their hand. A knife was also seized from him.
The officers are being treated at the hospital and are in stable condition. Mayor Bill de Blasio met the victims and their families in the hospital. "This is a moment in our history and we have to support each other," Mayor Blasio said.
According to News Center Main, there was no protest in the area at the time of the shooting. So, it was not clear if the incident was in connection with the protest against George Floyd's death.
