The New York State Attorney General Letitia James’ office announced on the 19th that the Office of Special Investigations (OSI) has initiated an investigation into a police shooting incident in Manhattan’s Lower East Side. Both the internal investigation of the New York City Police Department and the investigation by Letitia James’ office are currently ongoing, and the relevant body camera footage is yet to be made public.
The incident took place around 4 p.m. on the 16th. Melissa Eger, Assistant Chief of the Manhattan South Precinct of the New York City Police Department (NYPD), stated at a press conference that evening that the police received multiple 911 calls reporting an attack at 126 Ludlow St in the Lower East Side. Upon entering the building, officers discovered bloodstains on the stairs and proceeded to search upwards.
According to the police, while ascending the stairs, officers encountered 54-year-old Chinese man Wei Chan descending from above the stairs, armed with a large butcher knife. Eger mentioned that despite multiple commands from the officers to drop the weapon, Chan continued to advance towards the officers with the knife, leading the officers to open fire and strike him.
Chan was later transported to Bellevue Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Police found the knife used in the incident at the scene. As of the preliminary investigation stage, the number of officers who fired their weapons and the total rounds discharged have not been disclosed.
Furthermore, inside the building, officers found Chan’s 75-year-old father with lacerations on his head, who was also taken to Bellevue Hospital for treatment and is currently stable. Preliminary reports suggest that his injuries were inflicted by Chan before the officers arrived. Authorities stated that Chan did not have any known criminal record with the NYPD but had documented mental health-related records on file by the police.
Eger stated that the encounter between the officers and Chan, as well as the shooting process, were all recorded by the officers’ body cameras. Mayor Mumdani later mentioned that the case would undergo an internal investigation based on the procedures for officers’ use of firearms, and the relevant body camera footage would also be released.
The State Attorney General’s office announced its intervention in the investigation on the 19th. According to the preliminary information released by OSI, the police responded to the attack at Ludlow Street on the 16th, where officers encountered Wei Chan allegedly wielding a kitchen knife and approaching them along the stairs. Despite commands to drop the weapon, he was ultimately shot. OSI emphasized that the information provided so far is preliminary and subject to change as the investigation progresses.
As per the New York State Executive Law, whenever actions or inactions by police or other law enforcement personnel result in someone’s death, OSI is required to conduct an evaluation, regardless of whether the officers were on duty at the time or if the deceased was armed or in custody; if the assessment indicates that law enforcement may have caused the death, OSI will launch a comprehensive investigation.