Nov 14, 2008 6:15 am US/Eastern
Man Wielding A Chair Shot, Killed By NYPD Officer
Incident Occurred In Coney Island Church Parking Lot
NEW YORK (CBS) ―
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Police investigate in the church parking lot where a NYPD officer shot and killed a man wielding a wooden chair.
CBS
A man wielding a chair as a weapon was shot and killed after he tried to attack a police officer in a Coney Island church parking lot on Thursday afternoon. Now there are questions as to whether the use of deadly force was appropriate.
Police say the shooting happened outside a church used as a truancy center after a group of students inside reported seeing the man walk into the lot and attempt to break into a car.
Officers arrived at the scene and approached the suspect, who then picked up a wooden chair nearby and began swinging it at them. The officers screamed at the suspect to drop the chair, but after he refused he lunged at the female officer who then shot him once in the chest.
The suspect was rushed to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead.
Police say the man, who was Hispanic, had no identification on him, but he did have a cell phone. They are using the cell phone to figure out his identity.
As for the question of whether or not the use of deadly force was appropriate, according to the NYPD, in broad terms an officer can use deadly force only when that officer's life or someone else's life is in danger.
Investigators will now work to see if that was the case.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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