BUSHWICK, Brooklyn — An armed man was fatally shot by police after officers responded to gunfire outside a Brooklyn liquor store Thursday night, the NYPD said.
The incident occurred at around 10:30 p.m. Thursday, according to NYPD Chief of Patrol Juanita Holmes in a press conference early Friday morning. Officers heard shots in the vicinity of Halsey Street and Wilson Avenue in Bushwick.
The officers left their vehicle and approached a group of people in front of a liquor store on Halsey Street. Holmes said they observed three people with gunshot wounds. The officers were informed that an armed man had fled the scene on foot, going westbound on Wilson Avenue.
The officers pursued the armed man, Holmes said. She added that they activated their body-worn cameras, the footage from which Holmes has already reviewed.
The patrolmen went halfway down the block on Wilson Avenue when they found a man crouched on the sidewalk and holding a firearm in his left hand. The officers told him to drop the weapon. Holmes said that the man did not comply and instead raised the gun in the direction of the officers.
The officers then shot the man holding the firearm. The man, who has not yet been identified, was taken to a hospital, where he was later pronounced dead. His firearm was recovered from the scene, as well as three others.
Officers were taken to area hospitals for observation. The three other victims who were originally shot on Halsey Street outside the liquor store were also hospitalized. No arrests have been made and the investigation remains active and ongoing, according to Holmes.
An FDNY spokesperson had said late Thursday that four officers and at least two civilians were transported by EMS to area hospitals and that one officer sustained serious injuries, but the NYPD claimed that the officers were taken to hospital for observation only.
The NYPD warned residents late Thursday to expect a large police presence in the area.
Correction: The shooting happened late Thursday night, according to officials.
