Police kill man who climbed onto Brooklyn Bridge and pointed knife at officers

Police shot and killed a man in the early hours of this Friday (4) in New York, in the United States, after he climbed the cables of the Brooklyn Bridge, raised his arm and pointed a knife at the officers.

The information was released by authorities in a conversation with journalists. The episode comes just days after police shot and killed a woman in Times Square after she attacked two people with knives. One of them, identified as Erin Piacenti, died after being stabbed in the abdomen.

This Friday, police officers responded to an emergency call made at 3:28 am reporting that a man was walking on the beams of the Brooklyn Bridge. Officers climbed onto the bridge wearing harnesses, which were attached to cables for safety, said Gerard Dowling, commander of the Police Department's emergency services unit.

According to Chief Dowling, the man told officers he had a bomb and wanted to die. After a standoff that lasted about an hour, the man began to quickly descend a cable on the bridge towards the police officers, who were attached to the same cable, below him. The officers began to back away but were unable to move as quickly as the man, Dowling said.

The man was less than a meter away from the nearest officer when he raised his arm and pointed a knife in his direction, Dowling said. A police officer fired and struck the man, who was then removed from the cables and given first aid. He was taken to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

At 8:30 am, the Brooklyn Bridge was already open to traffic.