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Police shoot man accused of stabbing 4 children in Brooklyn, NYPD says
By
Catalina Gonella
Published Apr 6, 2025
Modified Apr 7, 2025
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Screenshot via Youtube/NYPD
By
Catalina Gonella
Published Apr 6, 2025
Modified Apr 7, 2025
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Heroism by both children and first responders helped save four young girls during a brutal stabbing inside a Brooklyn apartment on Sunday – and responding NYPD officers shot and critically injured the alleged attacker, officials said.
Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said the initial 911 call came from an 11-year-old girl, who told dispatchers she and her siblings had been stabbed by their uncle. Because she didn’t know her address, technicians at the 911 call center used phone-tracking technology to pinpoint the location and dispatch help, authorities said.
Officers and EMS responded to 1671 84th St. in Bensonhurst and were met by a young uninjured boy, who led them inside, police said. Officers then heard screaming behind a closed door, kicked it down and encountered a 49-year-old man holding a large, blood-covered meat cleaver, Tisch said.
“Once they entered, they encountered a man standing near the entrance holding a large meat cleaver covered in blood and they could see blood on the floor and the walls of the home,” Tisch said.
Two officers fired a total of seven rounds after he refused to drop the weapon, critically injuring the man and ending the threat, Tisch said. He was taken to Maimonides Hospital in critical condition, authorities said, but was stable as of Monday morning.
Inside the apartment, officers found four girls — ages 8, 11, 13 and 16 — all suffering from slash and stab wounds, police said. EMS provided emergency care at the scene before rushing them to the hospital. All were expected to survive.
“Our officers did not hesitate for a moment,” Tisch said. “I also want to speak of the heroics of the children involved. The 11-year-old 911 caller, who herself was a victim, hid in a room to call the police, and a young uninjured boy ran in to alert a neighbor.”
NYPD Chief of Department John Chell said a total of five children were in the apartment: the four girls who were hurt and the young boy, who was not injured.
The NYPD also released graphic images of the weapons recovered at the scene. One shows a blood-covered kitchen knife lying on a smeared floor, while another shows a large, blood-soaked meat cleaver resting on a red evidence bag. Police said two knives were recovered in total: one in the suspect’s hand and the other in a different room of the apartment.
Chell said the motive was under investigation, though family members told police the suspect has a history of mental illness. There were no prior domestic violence reports at the address, officials said.
This is a developing story and may be updated. Brittany Kriegstein contributed reporting.
Tagged
new york city
public safety
brooklyn
Catalina Gonella
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