NEW YORK — The NYPD released body camera footage showing an officer-involved shooting of a former cop who brandished a sharp, broken piece of a toilet seat and threatened himself, officers and others in a hospital.
The Jan. 8 incident unfolded when multiple 911 callers reported that there was a person inside NewYork-Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital was acting violently and had cut himself with a knife, according to the NYPD critical incident release.
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“I have a patient who’s suicidal,” a 911 caller can be heard saying in released audio. “He’s actually hurting himself right now. I need police here immediately. “
Officers arrived at the scene and found the suspect, identified as Michael Lynch, blocking the door to a hospital room with two other people inside, brandishing a sharp object.
Video shows officers instructing Lynchto drop the weapon. Instead, hestepped toward them with the weapon extended.
One officer fired a shot at Lynch, while two others deployed TASERs. Lynch kept control of the object and refused to leave the room.
Officers continued to speak with Lynch for about four minutes, attempting to persuade him to drop the weapon, before deploying TASERs at him. The deployments were ineffective.
Lynch again stepped toward the officers with the object extended. Two officers then fired shots, striking the suspect. He fell to the ground, but maintained control of the sharp object.
Officers deployed TASERs at Lynch before taking him into custody, allowing him to be treated by hospital staff. He was pronounced dead at the scene, according to the NYPD.
Lynch resigned from the NYPD in the 1990s, ABC7 reports. He had also served as a FDNY lieutenant and was initially admitted for head pain, according to News 12.
