MANHATTAN – The NYPD has confirmed the identity of the knife-wielding man who was shot and killed by police after refusing to drop his weapon Wednesday morning.
Police said the suspect, Garry Conrad Jr., of Fort George, entered the Food Emporium on West 49th Street and became aggressive toward workers in the store during the morning rush hour.
After an NYPD officer was alerted, he confronted Conrad and a struggle between the men ensued. Both of them fell to the ground, but when the suspect stood up, he displayed an 8-inch knife and approach the officer and two other officers who were coming to his assistance, police said.
The cops ordered him to drop his weapon but he continued to charge at them, leading an officer and a sergeant to fire at him, according to the NYPD.
Conrad was pronounced dead at the scene, police said.
A 46-year-old woman nearby suffered an apparent graze wound to her wrist. One of the police officers suffered a minor wound apparently sustained before the struggle with Conrad. Both were taken to Bellevue Hospital.
PIX11 received exclusive surveillance video that shows the panic in the streets in the moments after the shots as witnesses ducked for cover.
Buddy Kumar has been a doorman as the Elmsford Arms building on the corner of 49th Street and Eighth Avenue for 34 years. He was out buying his daily cup of coffee at a local shop when he heard the shots and ran back to his building, slamming the door behind him.
“It’s scary, I have never seen anything like this,” Buddy said.
Police said Conrad had a criminal history.
