New York City police officers shot and killed a 54-year-old man Sunday afternoon after authorities said he moved toward them while holding a large butcher knife inside an apartment building on Manhattan’s Lower East Side.
The fatal encounter unfolded just after 4 p.m. at 126 Ludlow Street, where NYPD officers had been called following multiple 911 reports of an assault in progress.
Inside the building, responding officers discovered a trail of blood leading up a staircase, NYPD Assistant Chief Melissa Eger told reporters during a Sunday evening briefing.
As the officers made their way upstairs, police said they came face-to-face with 54-year-old Wei Chan, who was descending the stairs armed with what officials described as a large butcher knife.
NYPD officers work the scene after police shot a man they say was armed with a butcher knife at 126 Ludlow Street in Manhattan’s Lower East Side on Sunday, Aug. 16, 2026. (Kyle Mazza/Anadolu via Getty Images)
“Officers repeated multiple commands for the male to show his hands in an effort for him to drop the weapon,” Eger said. “As officers issued repeated commands, the male continued to advance towards the officers armed with the large butcher knife.”
Police then fired their weapons, striking Chan. He was transported to a nearby hospital, where doctors later pronounced him dead.
“He has no known criminal history with our department. However, he does have a documented mental health history with the department,” Eger said.
When officers entered the building, they spotted a trail of blood leading up a staircase, NYPD Assistant Chief Melissa Eger said during a Sunday evening news conference. (Kyle Mazza/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Officers also found Wei Chan’s 75-year-old father, Cheung Chan, suffering from a laceration to the head. Investigators said Wei Chan had injured his father before police arrived.
He was also taken to the hospital and is expected to survive.
The responding officers were also taken to a hospital for evaluation, police said.
“Their actions are a reminder of how officers run towards danger and not away from it,” Eger said.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani said Sunday that he had been briefed on the incident and confirmed that body-camera footage would be released as part of the investigation. (Kyle Mazza/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Mayor Zohran Mamdani said Sunday that he had been briefed on the shooting and that the incident would undergo an internal investigation.
“As with every incident in which NYPD officers discharge their weapons, there will be an internal investigation, and body-worn camera footage of the incident will be released,” Mamdani wrote on X.
The circumstances surrounding the shooting remain under investigation.
