Police shot and killed a 20-year-old man in an exchange of gunfire Thursday night after he allegedly went on a gun-toting tirade around the Upper East Side and threatened to shoot up Mount Sinai Hospital, officials said.
His reign of terror began around 7 p.m. when he brandished a firearm on an elevator of a residential building on Madison Avenue between East 106th Street and East 107th Street, NYPD Chief of Patrol Philip Rivera said in a press conference late Thursday.
Seemingly out of nowhere, the man pulled out a gun and pointed it directly at the person in the elevator with him, Rivera said.
A gun is seen at the bloody crime scene on the Upper East Side where police fatally shot an armed man. Christopher Sadowski
He kept the firearm pointed at the man in the elevator until it got to the first floor of the building, where he then fled to a nearby deli on East 107th Street, police added.
While inside the bodega, the alleged maniac hopped behind the counter and pointed the firearm at a worker before declaring, “Call 911, I’m going to the hospital to shoot it up,” Rivera said.
He then stole the deli worker’s phone and fled south on Madison Avenue and walked into Mount Sinai Medical Center at 7:08 p.m., according to officials.
He was briefly inside before leaving and placing his firearm near a tree right outside. After reentering the hospital, he encountered an off-duty officer who was working as a paid security detail, Rivera said.
The gun nut began to act disorderly and told the NYPD member that he had a gun, the chief added. While the off-duty cop attempted to escort him out, the man grabbed him from behind, and a brief scuffle ensued, police said.
The unhinged assailant then retrieved the firearm he had placed on the ground, and the off-duty officer placed a call to request backup over the radio, according to cops.
Cops received a 911 call just after 7 p.m. about a man who was spotted waving a gun at people near East 107th Street and Madison Avenue in Manhattan, according to sources and the NYPD. Christopher Sadowski
The 20-year-old continued to walk southbound on Madison Avenue, where he was confronted by responding officers between East 95th and East 96th Street, officials said.
The man immediately fired his weapon at the cops exiting their vehicles, as multiple people nearby had just gotten off an MTA bus.
The cops discharged their guns and returned fire, striking him once in the chest and once in the hip in a confrontation, according to sources and police.
He was transported to the hospital in an NYPD vehicle, where he was later pronounced dead, Rivera said. The young man, whose identity was withheld pending family notification, had no prior record, he added.
The cops involved in the shoot-out were also transported to the hospital for evaluation.
The entire incident was captured on surveillance video and police body cameras, Rivera maintained.
“This situation could have turned out differently. An individual walked into multiple locations with a gun, menaced people with that gun, then shot at our officers in the middle of a busy sidewalk with civilians in close proximity,” the chief told reporters.
“Every day, our officers put on their uniforms, and they encounter dangerous situations across the city. But it’s another kind of danger when someone goes into a deli and the hospital with a gun and opens fire directly at the NYPD,” he said.
“This is the risk that every member of the NYPD faces every single day to keep our city safe,” he added.
A firearm was recovered on the scene, according to police.
Locals described hearing a barrage of gunshots followed by sirens.
A 29-year-old resident of 95th Street said she heard five shots go off while she was inside her apartment.
“To me, it sounded more like a mini explosion. So there were 5 consecutive shots, like, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam,” the woman named Megan told The Post.
Another Upper East Sider said their friend saw the suspect casually strolling down the street with the handgun.
“I have a friend who lives across the street, and they saw someone on 96th walking with a gun,” the nearby resident walking his dog said.
The local, who was not home at the time, said his doorman told him he heard “a flurry of shots” after cops arrived.
“It’s scary. I’m happy the police were here, and I’m happy they responded quickly,” said the man, who asked not to be indentified. ”It’s our police doing what they should be doing.”
The officers who shot the armed madman were credited for saving countless New Yorkers’ lives.
“The Sergeant and his cops tonight did exactly what they are trained to do. When the individual opened fire on them they took immediate action and these members of the 19th precinct saved countless lives tonight,” said NYPD Sergeants Benevolent Association president Vincent Vallelong. “They were text book and proved exactly why this city needs more like them. They stood tall in the face of danger and should be commended for it.”
The investigation remains ongoing.