Man dies after being shot by police on Brooklyn Bridge

A man armed with a knife died after being shot by New York City police officers on the Brooklyn Bridge early Friday morning, following a nearly hour-long effort to convince him to come down from the bridge cables.

According to NYPD Deputy Chief Gerar Dowling, officers with the Emergency Service Unit responded to a 911 call around 3:30 a.m. reporting that a man was walking on the Brooklyn Bridge cables. Officers climbed onto the cables using specialized harnesses and attempted to persuade him to come down safely.

Dowling said officers spoke with the man for nearly an hour, repeatedly telling him they were there to help and asking him to drop the knife. During the encounter, the man allegedly told officers, “I want to die. I want you to kill me. I have a bomb. You’re going to force me to do something bad to the police.”

The officers continued trying to de-escalate the situation, but their ability to move was limited by their harness configuration. They were attached to the bridge in a line beneath the man and began backing away as he moved toward them, Dowling said.

When the man came within approximately three feet of the closest ESU officer, he allegedly raised his arm with the knife extended toward the officer. An ESU member positioned on the bridge roadway then fired a single shot, striking the man.

Officers brought him down from the cables and administered first aid before he was transported to Bellevue Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Police recovered a knife and a flashlight from the scene and were continuing to investigate whether the man had left anything else behind.

Dowling said ESU officers are specially trained to handle high-risk rescues and receive extensive training in de-escalation and treating people with compassion.

The incident is being investigated by the NYPD’s Force Investigation Division. Authorities had not publicly identified the man. The Brooklyn Bridge was reopened after widespread closures during the early-morning incident.