Police shot and killed a man they say threatened officers with a knife as he scaled the cables of the Brooklyn Bridge early Friday morning, the NYPD said.<\/p>\n
Officers received a report of a man walking on the beams of the bridge around 3:30 a.m., NYPD Emergency Service Unit Commanding Officer Gerry Dowling said at a briefing.<\/p>\n
ESU officers climbed onto the cables themselves and spent nearly an hour trying to convince the man to come down safely, according to Dowling.<\/p>\n
Dowling said the man refused to engage, telling officers, \u201cI want to die. I want you to kill me. I have a bomb.\u201d<\/p>\n
After about an hour of trying to communicate with him, Dowling said the man suddenly began moving quickly down the cables towards officers.<\/p>\n
The ESU officers were secured to the bridge with harnesses, which Dowling said made it difficult for them to move.<\/p>\n
When the man got within around 3 feet of them, Dowling said the man raised the knife toward one of them, and an officer positioned on the bridge fired one shot, striking him.<\/p>\n
ESU officers brought the man down from the cables and provided medical aid, according to Dowling. He was taken to NYC Health + Hospitals\/Bellevue, where he was pronounced dead.<\/p>\n
Dowling said an investigation will determine if the man\u2019s claim that he had a bomb was credible. The knife and a flashlight were the only devices recovered at the scene so far.<\/p>\n
The man’s name and age weren\u2019t immediately released, and the investigation remains ongoing.<\/p>\n
Mayor Zohran Mamdani released a statement on X<\/a> about the incident saying, “As is standard when an NYPD officer discharges a firearm, the department will conduct an internal investigation, and body-worn camera footage will be released.”<\/p>\n