Police in Astoria fatally shot and killed an allegedly knife-wielding man during an encounter on Monday morning. More than a dozen shots may have been fired.
Photo by Dean Moses
April 14, 2025 By Dean Moses and Queens Post News Team
A knife-wielding man was fatally shot by police during an encounter early Monday morning in Astoria, according to authorities.
The police-involved shooting occurred just before 6:30 a.m. on April 14 near the intersection of 31st Street and 30th Avenue. Officers from the 114th Precinct had responded to multiple 911 calls reporting a man acting erratically while armed with a knife.
“There were numerous 911 calls of a male with a knife acting erratically. Some of the callers thought he was going to stab someone,” said NYPD Chief of Department John Chell during a press conference at the scene. “They gave orders to drop the knife. They deployed their Tasers—multiple Tasers—that were ineffective at this point.”
The police-involved shooting happened just before 6:30 a.m. on April 14 near the corner of 31st Street and 30th Avenue in Astoria. Photo by Dean Moses
Chell said the officers were engaged with the 61-year-old man for just under a minute before the situation escalated. The man, he said, advanced toward the officers, prompting them to open fire.
“We were forced to defend ourselves,” Chell stated. “Everything I just described to you is depicted on body-worn camera and external video from a commercial establishment.”
According to police sources, the man refused to drop the knife, and it remains unclear why the Tasers did not subdue him. That aspect is under investigation.
Video on the Citizen app showed a group of officers rendering aid to the wounded man before EMS arrived. Paramedics rushed him to Elmhurst Hospital in critical condition, but he ultimately succumbed to his injuries.Screenshot via Citizen
Video on the Citizen app showed officers administering aid to the wounded man before EMS arrived. He was transported in critical condition to Elmhurst Hospital, where he was pronounced dead shortly before 8:30 a.m., police said.
Photographs from the scene show blood on the sidewalk and dozens of shell casings marked by evidence cones, indicating that more than a dozen shots may have been fired.
Chief of Department John Chell at the scene of a Queens police-involved shooting on April 14, 2025.Photo by Dean Moses
Blood on the sidewalk at the scene of a Queens police-involved shooting on April 14, 2025.Photo by Dean Moses
Chief Chell said the man had prior interactions with police involving mental health issues.
“He has two documented incidents of mental disorder with the NYPD,” Chell confirmed. When pressed for additional details, he added, “In terms of his mental disorder, we’ll just leave it at that.”
The NYPD’s Force Investigation Division is reviewing the incident as part of the department’s standard protocol following officer-involved shootings.
*Updated at 1:05 p.m. on April 14, 2025.
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One Comment
Thank God no one was hurt!