By Thomas Tracy, Shant Shahrigian
New York Daily News
NEW YORK — Two men — including one who promised to “blow the head off” of cops — were killed in New York City on Saturday night after opening fire on NYPD officers, according to police officials.
In the first of the stunning incidents, responding officers fatally shot a Queens man who had called 911 to threaten top New York officials a little after 6 p.m.
“He threatened our governor, he threatened numerous elected officials and dignitaries and he threatened members of the Police Department,” NYPD Chief of Patrol Jeff Maddrey said at a press conference by the scene of the crime, on 116th Ave. near Francis Lewis Blvd. in St. Albans.
“He clearly stated that he was going to ‘blow the head off’ of the first police officers that he saw,” Maddrey said of the caller, whose name was not immediately provided.
The man also named Mayor Adams as a target, according to a police source.
A sergeant from the 113th Precinct led “multiple units” to the vicinity of the caller’s address, getting out of their vehicles a few houses away.
Outside, they saw the man, who began firing after a “short verbal exchange” including threats and cursing at the cops, according to Maddrey.
The caller “refused to listen to the commands of the officers as they told him to take his hands out of his pockets,” said the chief of patrol. “The male brandished the firearm and pointed it at the officers.
“The officers had their firearms drawn already, and they exchanged gunshots,” he continued. “At least six members of the 113th Precinct fired their guns.”
They fired more than 100 shots, Maddrey estimated. After the man was taken down, cops cuffed him and attempted to apply “life-saving measures,” Maddrey said. But the shooter died at a local hospital.
Several responding officers were treated for trauma, high blood pressure and ringing in the ears, the chief of patrol said.
About an hour and a half later, a man was killed while running away from cops at a traffic stop in Downtown Brooklyn, Maddrey said.
The unidentified man was shot dead after opening fire on officers giving chase, he recounted.
In Queens, a local woman voiced shock at the violence initiated by the unhinged 911 caller.
“The cops were shooting and he was shooting. They were all shooting at each other,” said the witness, who gave her name as Michelle, 35.
“He got hit so many times, he had no choice but to fall,” she added. “Thank God there were no kids out here, cause there’s usually a lot of kids out here playing.”
The NYPD initiated a Level 1 mobilization sending all cops in the area to the scene, according to police sources. Cop cars had filled 116th Ave. by night fall.
A woman who gave her name as Diane, 32, said she heard the gunshots from down the street.
“I thought it was firecrackers — like, pow, pow, pow, pow!” she said. “Then I heard the helicopters maybe five, 10 minutes after.
“That just scares me — so close to home,” she added. “I could’ve been right in the mix. That just scares me.”
The man who made the threats had a prior history with police, including “a call for a mental health issue,” said Maddrey, though he did not go into detail.
“We never want our officers to use their firearms, but they were placed in a position where they were met with deadly physical force and they had to return with deadly physical force,” he said.
“This just shows you the commitment and dedication of New York City police officers and law enforcement worldwide,” Maddrey added.
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