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NYPD under scanner for deadly shootout over a $2.90 fare at Brooklyn subway
Four wounded after NYPD opened fire after observing that a passenger had entered the station without paying the train fare and was holding gun.
After a wild confrontation between police and a knife-wielding man at a Brooklyn subway station, a 49-year-old man is fighting for his life after being shot in the head. NYPD's ‘friendly fire’ over fare evasion has left one officer and two bystanders wounded.
The man suspected of evading the fare, who also got shot, is in critical condition alongside the 49-year-old bystander. A 26-year-old woman was grazed by a bullet, and a police officer was shot under his arm but is in stable condition.
The case is being investigated.
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What happened at the Brooklyn station
At 3pm on Sunday, officers followed the suspect onto a Manhattan-bound train after they noticed he had not paid the fare. The chaos erupted at the Sutter Avenue L station when officers tried to stop the man. When he refused to take his hands out of his pockets, the officers realized he had a knife. They tried using Tasers, but when that didn’t work, shots were fired.
As they handcuffed Mickles, the cops realized not only that the suspect had been hit, but also that one of the officers was struck in the armpit and two straphangers had been grazed, police said.
Asked about the circumstances, Maddrey told reporters at a briefing Sunday that “everyone that was struck this afternoon we believe was by our officers.”
In the mayhem, four people were shot, including two innocent bystanders. Questions are now being raised over the use of deadly force in such a crowded over a minor fare offence.
Police officials are defending the actions, saying the knife-wielding man posed a serious threat, telling the officers, "You're going to have to shoot me," before they fired at him. The department says the man’s actions endangered everyone on the platform. But people in the neighbourhood are struggling to understand how a $2.90 fare could lead to such a dangerous shootout.
A bystander’s video captured the terrifying aftermath, with people screaming and running, while police rushed between subway cars.
Recently there has been a strong crackdown on fare evasion, with officials claiming it costs the city millions in lost revenue and can lead to more serious crimes. But civil rights advocates claim this was an over-the-top response to a relatively small crime.
