NYPD: Officers shoot man armed with knife, scissors outside assisted living facility in the Bronx

NEW YORK – The NYPD says officers shot a man armed with a knife and scissors Friday in the Bronx.

He was taken to the hospital with critical injuries. 

NYPD Chief of Patrol John Chell described the situation as “fast, volatile and dangerous.”

Police responded to a call around 8:40 a.m. from a case worker at an assisted living facility on Washington Avenue in Morrisania, who reported a man in mental distress with a large pair of scissors. 

When officers arrived, the man alleged ran at them with the scissors and a 12-inch kitchen knife.

“The subject then decided to turn his sights on a civilian who was smoking a cigarette outside the location. He went after this male with the scissors. Our officers were able to distract him and give him commands to drop the scissors,” Chell said. “At this time, in a full-fledged sprint, he came at one of our officers.”

Chell said one officer fired three times, hitting the man twice.

“If our officers did not respond quickly, we might have a civilian who’s hurt, and we stopped a threat to the community,” he added.

Community members were shaken up by the events that unfolded and frustrated by the way things ended.

“That’s bad to have that type of demeanor that you have to shoot someone because they have a weapon. They should have sent in a negotiator, someone to talk to him, someone to get him to calm down and climb off the ladder,” said Iris Rosa Blanco, who lives in a nearby building. “Because sometimes with mental health, if you don’t have that support and nobody is talking to you to help you, guess what guys? It’s bad.”

Police said the man has a documented history of mental health problems. 

Four officers were also taken to the hospital.