NYC man, wielding scissors, killed in officer-involved shooting as city 'mourns' death of Officer Diller
A 19-year-old man armed with scissors was shot and killed by New York City Police Department officers in Queens in the wake of Officer Jonathan Diller's death.
In a press conference on Wednesday afternoon, the NYPD said the shooting happened at approximately 1:40 p.m. in the Ozone Park neighborhood in New York City.
Authorities said that the 19-year-old's mother called 911, saying that her son was in a "mental crisis" and acting erratic.
"The situation became quite hectic, chaotic and dangerous right away," NYPD Chief of Patrol John Chell said in the press conference.
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When they arrived, authorities said the officers attempted to restrain the 19-year-old to "get him help" but the man refused to be restrained.
Authorities said that he reached into a drawer and pulled out a pair of scissors.
The NYPD said that he lunged towards officers with the scissors, but both officers deployed tasers.
While the tasers briefly stopped the suspect, the man's mother attempted to aid him by knocking the tasers out of his body.
"But a mother, being a mother, ran to aid her son and doing so, she accidentally knocked the tasers out of his body," Chell said.
Police said the man picked up the scissors again and went after the officers again, and the officers discharged their firearms, striking the man.
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"It was chaotic, fast moving, and they had to defend themselves," Chell said.
The man was taken to Jamaica Hospital where he was pronounced dead.
Both officers were tested for tinnitus at the hospital. No shots were fired at officers and no police were injured.
Chell said the shooting came at a time of mourning for the department.
"As our city mourns for Officer Diller, as we recover from this heinous act of violence against him, our cops still have to be out here 24/7," he said.
"Defending the community and helping the community. They tried to do that today with a person in mental distress," Chell said.
Diller was shot and killed in the line of duty Monday.
NYPD officials said Diller and another officer were conducting a traffic stop on Mott Avenue in Far Rockaway, Queens at approximately 5:48 p.m. Monday as part of the NYPD Critical Response Team because a vehicle with two men, inside was parked at a bus stop illegally.
When officers asked the individuals to step out of the vehicle, the suspect in the passenger's seat refused and pointed a gun at the officers, according to authorities.
Diller was struck in the torso, just below his bullet-resistant vest.
He had been with the NYPD for three years and had more than 70 arrests, NYPD officials said. He is survived by his wife and their young child, PIX 11 reported.
A candlelight vigil is planned for Wednesday evening in Massapequa Park's Brady Park, ahead of his wake and funeral later this week.
Fox News' Bryan Llenas contributed to this report.