Man Shot Dead on Brooklyn Bridge After Ignoring Police Orders to Drop Knife

A knife-wielding man walking on the cables of New York City’s iconic Brooklyn Bridge was fatally shot after he allegedly ignored police orders to drop the weapon, authorities said on Friday (local time).

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The man, whose name has not yet been released, was shot after moving within feet of an officer who was trying to help him climb down. According to Gerard Dowling, commanding officer of the New York City Police Department’s Emergency Services Unit, the man told the police rescue team to kill him and claimed he had a bomb. “The officers spoke to him for about an hour... they wanted to help him and bring him down and told him to drop the knife multiple times. The officers began to move backwards away from the male when he began to climb down, but were not able to move as quickly as the subject, who was approaching them,” Dowling told a news conference later. He added that the man came within three feet of an officer and raised his arm, with the knife extended toward the officer. At that point, another officer shot him once. The rescue team then brought the man down, and he later died at a hospital. Police body cameras recorded the encounter. In addition to the knife, a flashlight was recovered. When a reporter asked whether police had found a bomb, Dowling replied that was part of the ongoing investigation. New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani posted online that officers responded after receiving a 911 call about a man “who appeared to be attempting to jump from the bridge.” “As is standard when an NYPD officer discharges a firearm, the department will conduct an internal investigation, and body-worn camera footage will be released,” Mamdani said. The Brooklyn Bridge, which opened in 1883, is a cable-supported suspension bridge connecting Manhattan and Brooklyn. Its towers rise 276.5 feet (84 metres) above the water. It was not immediately clear how high above the water the man and the police officers were when the incident occurred.