NYPD officers shot and killed a 54-year-old man on Manhattan’s Lower East Side on Sunday after police said he advanced toward officers with a large butcher knife despite repeated commands to drop the weapon.
The confrontation unfolded shortly after 4 p.m. inside an apartment building at 126 Ludlow Street, where police had been dispatched following several 911 calls reporting that an assault was underway.
After entering the building, responding officers discovered blood on the floor and followed a trail leading up a staircase, NYPD Assistant Chief Melissa Eger said during a news conference Sunday evening.
As the officers made their way upstairs, they encountered 54-year-old Wei Chan descending the staircase while carrying what authorities described as a large butcher knife.
“Officers repeated multiple commands for the male to show his hands in an effort for him to drop the weapon,” Eger said. “As officers issued repeated commands, the male continued to advance towards the officers armed with the large butcher knife.”
Police said the officers then discharged their weapons, striking Chan. Emergency personnel transported him to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Authorities said Chan had no known record of criminal activity with the NYPD, although police had previously documented mental health-related interactions involving him.
“He has no known criminal history with our department. However, he does have a documented mental health history with the department,” Eger said.
Police also discovered Chan’s 75-year-old father, Cheung Chan, inside the building with a laceration to his head. Investigators believe Wei Chan attacked and injured his father before officers arrived at the scene.
Cheung Chan was transported to a hospital for treatment and is expected to survive his injuries.
The NYPD officers who responded to the incident were also brought to a hospital for evaluation following the deadly confrontation.
“Their actions are a reminder of how officers run towards danger and not away from it,” Eger said.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said Sunday that officials had briefed him on the shooting and confirmed that the NYPD would conduct an internal investigation into the officers’ use of deadly force.
“As with every incident in which NYPD officers discharge their weapons, there will be an internal investigation, and body-worn camera footage of the incident will be released,” Mamdani wrote on X.
Police said the investigation into the shooting and the events that preceded the officers’ arrival remains ongoing.
