Police have released the body camera video of a police-involved shooting that resulted in the death of a 67-year-old man last month.
On Nov. 13, police officers from the 48th Precinct were called to 1974 Hughes Ave. in East Tremont after reports that an armed man had just stabbed people. They then came face-to-face with suspect Cornell Lockhart, who they described as emotionally disturbed.
The video appears to show police officers yelling, "Get back," and "Drop the knife," repeatedly. Police say Lockhart was clutching a 4-inch steak knife in his hand.
Lockhart appears to disregard more than 25 commands. Instead of dropping the knife, he steps toward police. That's when officers opened fire, striking him nine times.
The NYPD says neither of the responding officers was armed with a Taser.
Before police arrived, they say Lockhart had just stabbed the two female security guards at the front desk in the lobby of the Hughes House — a center for the homeless and at-risk individuals. Lockhart had lived in the home.
One of the guards sustained a wound to her left arm. The other had a wound to her chest. Both survived the incident.
Neighbors told News 12 that they often saw Lockhart panhandling and that he had been in confrontations with the security guards before. Some people who knew the 67-year-old say that he was a nice man who may have suffered from mental illness but didn't seem like he would act violently.
Some residents say the officers didn't have to shoot, while others believe they responded correctly.
"The fact that they advised him multiple times to drop the knife was a good idea," one resident said. "Instead of just taking first action to shoot."
The NYPD Investigations Division is still probing the circumstances surrounding the incident.