Elected official responds after knife-wielding man shot and injured in Bronx apartment building
A knife-wielding man was shot by officers in the Bronx on Sunday night. They say it happened within a matter of seconds, and that there may have been a language barrier.
Some residents say officers should at least know some basic commands in Spanish.
It started with a 911 call Sunday night concerning the robbery of an air conditioner.
It appears the man who made the call went out to confront the suspected robber with a knife.
But when cops arrived, they shot the man holding the knife, the man who called 911.
It happened at an apartment building on East 148th Street in the Mott Haven section of the Bronx around 6 p.m.
Police officials say as the officers were coming down a dark stairwell in the building they encountered the man running up the stairs holding a knife.
Police released a photo of that knife.
Investigators say the officers issued commands for the man to drop the knife, but he continued approaching them.
That's when they opened fire, shooting him once in the torso.
The NYPD is investigating to see if a language barrier played a role.
"Especially those, put it down, abajo, those little words might help the person to understand what they're saying," a resident said.
"Deeply troubling when an innocent man is shot. More efforts should be made about the language gap," Rep. Ritchie Torres said.
The 32-year-old victim was rushed to Lincoln Hospital.
He is in stable condition and is expected to survive.
Police have not yet identified the victim.
Officials say there is body cam video showing the officers tried to stop the man both verbally and with hand gestures.
The NYPD has not said whether they will release that footage.
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