Residents on Manhattan’s Lower East Side were left in tears Sunday after police shot a man who authorities said was armed with a butcher’s knife.
Officers were called to an apartment building on Ludlow Street near Rivington Street at 4:06 p.m. after several 911 callers reported an assault in progress. When they arrived, police said they found a trail of blood running through the lobby and up the stairwell.
As officers moved up the stairs, the armed man allegedly came rushing down toward them while holding a large butcher’s knife.
Police repeatedly ordered the man to show his hands and drop the weapon, but he did not comply, officials said.
When the suspect allegedly lunged at officers with the knife still in his hand, police deployed a Taser, AMNY reports.
After the Taser failed to stop him, officers opened fire, discharging at least four rounds.
The suspect, identified as 54-year-old Wei Chan, was taken to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Police also discovered Chan’s father, 75-year-old Chung Chan, inside an upstairs apartment with a gash to his head. Investigators had not determined whether the injury was caused by the knife or another object during the domestic-violence dispute, according to the New York Post.
A woman exiting an apartment broke down in tears after police shot a man wielding a butcher’s knife on Sunday
Officers responded to multiple 911 calls about an assault in progress at an apartment building on Ludlow Street, near Rivington Street, at 4.06pm and spotted a trail of blood in the lobby and leading up the staircase
The butcher knife suspect Wei Chan, 54, was wielding when officers shot him on Sunday
He was also rushed to a local hospital, and was expected to survive.
The FDNY also reported that four members of its service were sent to the hospital with minor injuries.
‘Officers entered the building, saw a trail of blood and responded without hesitation, not knowing what was waiting for them as they went up the stairs,’ Assistant Police Chief Melissa Eger said at a news conference.
‘Their actions are a reminder of how officers run towards danger, not away from it.’
Officers also noted that Chan does not have any prior criminal activity, but has documented mental health issues.
One witness, Fabio Gutierrez, who was eating dinner with his wife, Debora Martins, at a nearby restaurant, described how he thought he was witnessing a ‘neighborhood fight.’
Meanwhile, his wife told how she saw the suspect getting into a gurney as first responders performed CPR.
Assistant Police Chief Melissa Eger commended officers’ bravery
As the investigation now continues, the NYPD has asked residents to avoid the area
‘I was kind of shocked,’ she said. ‘I’ve never seen someone who seemed like they were dying.’
Martins also said she saw another man covered in blood being led down the street by cops.
‘He was not good,’ she recounted. ‘He was all bloody.’
As the investigation now continues, the NYPD has asked residents to avoid the area.
The Daily Mail has reached out to the NYPD for comment.
