New York City police have shot and killed a man they say critically injured a patrol officer with a hatchet in Jamaica, Queens, Thursday.
The incident, which police say happened without warning, took place on a commercial strip of Jamaica Avenue and 162nd Street around 2 p.m.
NYPD Commissioner William Bratton said a group of four rookie uniformed officers were on patrol as part of the NYPD Operation Impact initiative when a freelance photographer asked them to stand for a photograph.
They were standing near the corner when the assailant approached them and started swinging the hatchet without uttering a word. One officer, 25-year old Taylor Kraft, was struck in the head, while a second, 24-year old Joseph Meeker, was struck in the arm.
The other two officers, who suffered minor injuries, opened fire on the hatchet-wielding man, believed to be about 32 years old.
"As he continued his assault, the remaining two officers then fired multiple times on the armed suspect, who fell to the ground dropping the hatchet. The suspect was pronounced dead at the scene," said Bratton.
The most seriously injured officer was rushed to Jamaica Medical Center, where he is listed in critical but stable condition after undergoing surgery. The second injured officer was also hospitalized, while another was being treated for trauma at North Shore University Hospital.
A female bystander, 29, was struck in the lower back by the gunfire. She was rushed to Jamaica Medical Center, where she underwent surgery. She is also in critical but stable condition.
http://7online.com/news/hatchet-wielding-suspect-fatally-shot-in-queens;-officer-bystander-critical/362963/
