Spencer Gustafson and Derick Waller

4 hours ago

LOWER EAST SIDE, Manhattan (PIX11) — One man is dead after police shot him inside a Lower East Side apartment building, according to the NYPD.

Police said multiple 911 calls were made for an ongoing assault on Ludlow Street just after 4 p.m.


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Upon arrival, officers saw a trail of blood leading up the stairwell inside the apartment building. Police said a man, identified as 54-year-old Wei Chan, was armed with a butcher knife descending the staircase towards officers.

The photo of the weapon retrieved at the scene resembles a meat cleaver.

The knife police say 54-year-old Wei Chan was armed with at the time of the shooting inside a Ludlow Street apartment building. (Credit: NYPD)

Officers made multiple commands for Chan to drop the knife before discharging their firearms, striking him. Chan was taken to a nearby hospital, where he later died from his injuries, according to the NYPD.

It was not immediately clear how many shots were fired.

Chan’s 75-year-old father is said to have had lacerations to his head and was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment. He is expected to be okay, police said.

Assistant Chief Melissa Eger said the 54-year-old had no criminal record, but has a “documented mental health history” with the NYPD.


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Four responding officers were taken to the hospital with minor injuries.

The incident is under investigation, but police believe it was domestic in nature.

The shooting was recorded on body-worn cameras, according to Eger.

Amber, an English witness visiting New York City, was having a drink with her family as the incident unfolded nearby.

She said that police emergency crews wheeled someone out on a stretcher while seemingly performing CPR on the way to the ambulance.

“I didn’t know what was going on. It was a bit scary, to be honest,” Amber told PIX11 News.

“That’s a New York story for you, I guess,” another witness from Brazil visiting New York on her honeymoon told PIX11 News.

“It looked really serious,” she said.

Spencer Gustafson is a digital content producer from Long Island who has covered New York state and city news since 2023. See more of his work here.