A man died in New York after a police officer shot him on the Brooklyn Bridge, where he had climbed onto the structure's suspension cables while carrying a knife. He did not respond to repeated calls from officers to drop the weapon.
The incident happened on Friday and forced the closure of the bridge to traffic for a period while the police operation was underway.
An hour of failed negotiations
Gerard Dowling, head of the New York Police Department's Emergency Service Unit, said the man told rescuers he wanted them to kill him. He also claimed to be carrying an explosive device.
To approach him safely, officers secured themselves to the bridge with specialized equipment. For nearly an hour they tried to talk to him, urging him to leave the dangerous spot and hand over the knife.
The move toward officers and the shooting
The situation escalated when the man moved rapidly downward along one of the cables. Officers positioned further down the same cable began retreating to put more distance between themselves and him.
According to Dowling, the safety equipment the officers were wearing did not allow them to move away as quickly as the man was approaching.
When roughly one meter separated them, the man allegedly raised the hand holding the knife and pointed it toward one of the officers. An officer stationed on the bridge's roadway then fired a single shot, wounding him.
Officers moved the man from the cables to a safe location, where they administered first aid. He was then taken to hospital but could not be saved.
Identity and investigation
Authorities have not released the man's identity. A knife and a flashlight were found in his possession.
The Brooklyn Bridge, which links Manhattan and Brooklyn across the East River, is one of the oldest suspension bridges in the United States and one of New York City's best-known landmarks. The NYPD's Emergency Service Unit is the department's specialized tactical team, trained to handle high-risk rescues and standoffs.
Investigators are continuing to work to determine whether the man's claim of possessing a bomb was true.
