NEW YORK (PIX11) — New York City Mayor Eric Adams reassured the public of the NYPD’s public safety efforts Friday morning during an appearance on CNN after three police-involved shootings around the city in one day.
“We know that we’re turning around an ocean liner of violence that is really pervasive throughout the country, but we’re trending in the right direction,” Adams said.
In Bedford-Stuyvesant Thursday afternoon, a 78-year-old man was killed in a police-involved shooting. According to the NYPD, the man moved toward officers while pointing a gun in a narrow hallway.
“Officers were put in a life-and-death situation. An elderly male lost his life today. It’s very tough,” explained NYPD Chief of Department Jeffrey Maddrey.
In Jamaica, Queens, police said a knife-wielding man was shot by responding officers outside the First Presbyterian Church after he stabbed a church security guard and advanced toward officers with the weapon.
Just before 8 p.m. Thursday in the Kingsbridge neighborhood of The Bronx, police were called after a man was seen waving a gun. Investigators said an officer was able to shoot the gun out of the suspect’s hand after he pointed the weapon at police.
During a briefing Friday afternoon, New York City’s Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Philip Banks said that shooting incidents have declined in the city this year compared to last year.
“The fact of the matter is there are still too many weapons on our streets,” Banks said.
All three police-involved shootings are under investigation.
