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Police kill man in Lower East Side standoff, per NYPD
By
Charles Lane
and
Bahar Ostadan
Published Dec 14, 2023
Modified Dec 14, 2023
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Bahar Ostadan
By
Charles Lane
and
Bahar Ostadan
Published Dec 14, 2023
Modified Dec 14, 2023
Share
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Police shot and killed a man in Manhattan’s Lower East Side on Thursday after a two and a half hour standoff that ended when he fired at officers who had entered the apartment the man had locked himself into, NYPD officials said.
NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny identified the man as Kent Edwards, 43. Kenny said officers had gone to the apartment at 206 Eldridge St. to arrest Edwards, who they said was a suspect in an Upper East Side shooting, a strangulation in Queens and a sexual abuse case. They said he also had an active bench warrant for failing to register as a sex offender.
Edwards served 12 years in prison for attempted rape and selling drugs starting in October 2000. Police officials said Thursday that Edwards’ mental state was under investigation.
Attempts to reach Edwards' relatives were unsuccessful.
Kenny said the Manhattan Violent Felony Squad tracked Edwards down at about 11:45 a.m. on Thursday morning at a small public housing unit in Lower Manhattan. Kenny said they found him by monitoring his phone, credit card and physically surveilling him. Edwards used to live in the Bronx but was “couch surfing,” Kenny added.
The officers knocked on the apartment door, where two women answered and said Edwards was locked in the bathroom with a 9mm gun, police officials said at a news conference. Police are investigating Edwards’ relationship with the two women, officials said.
The warrant officers then called in the NYPD’s Emergency Services Unit, who spent two and a half hours in the building hallway using police technology to get Edwards to leave the apartment, police said.
First, the ESU – a specialized bureau deployed in highly-sensitive emergencies – sent in “scout,” a small police robot, which Edwards “immobilized” with a blanket, NYPD Chief of Department Jeffrey Maddrey said.
Then, officers flew in a police drone through the apartment’s bedroom window, according to NYPD Deputy Commissioner of Public Information Tarik Sheppard. Edwards knocked that down using a broom, Maddrey said.
Next, police tried using a “pole camera,” which they couldn’t get into the apartment, Maddrey said. Finally – after several hours – they sent in “Avatar,” a rolling NYPD robot equipped with a camera, which they followed closely behind, Maddrey said.
“[The officers] did take a few steps in to try and close the distance and create better communication” with Edwards, Maddrey said. “I think once the avatar came in and he realized the officers were right there, he made a move and came out and fired at the officers.”
Edwards shot at least three times at the officers, hitting two of their bullet proof shields and one officer in his bullet proof vest, according to police. One officer then shot Edwards twice, using a six-foot-tall police shield to “pin him down while other members were able to put him in handcuffs,” Maddrey said.
EMS – who Maddrey said were already on the scene – “immediately rendered aid” and transported Edwards to Bellevue Hospital. Maddrey said he was pronounced dead at about 2:55 p.m.
During the hours-long standoff, “there was a lot of back-and-forth,” Maddrey said. “[Edwards] was asking for his sister, he was asking for medicine, he was making a lot of different requests.”
Edwards told officers which sister he wanted to see, but they could not “get into communication with her,” NYPD Assistant Chief of Emergency Services Unit Carlos Valdez said at the news conference on Thursday.
“He asked for water, which we tried to provide and asked him to come out to receive the water … but he refused to do that. He asked for medicine, which we said if we could get him into an ambulance we could provide … but again he would not come out,” Valdez added.
Asked by a reporter, Valdez said Edwards did not specify which medicine he wanted.
Thomas Harrell, 46, lives across the street from 206 Eldridge St. and said police ordered people to clear the street on Thursday afternoon. He said he initially thought the gunshots were fireworks.
“Why would you have fireworks on a day this cold,” Harrell said in an interview. “It didn’t dawn on me until I came out to grab a soda and when I came out and I saw a whole crime scene.”
Due to incorrect information provided by police, a previous version of this story listed the wrong address for the incident. It is 206 Eldridge St. The story was also changed to clarify details of the shooting location.
Tagged
new york city
public safety
manhattan
Charles Lane
Charles is a Day-of reporter focused on breaking news and enterprise. He’s very friendly and can be reached at [email protected], or more securely on whatsapp/signal 631-295-6715
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Bahar Ostadan
Bahar Ostadan covers the NYPD and public safety. Got a tip? Email [email protected] or message Bahar on Signal at 646-740-7335.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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