8-year-old stabbed to death in Queens, knife-wielding suspect shot dead by police

NEW YORK – A police officer shot and killed a man in Queens on Thursday who allegedly stabbed an 8-year-old boy, New York police said.

The stabbing is believed to have been the result of a domestic dispute, police said, but details are unclear. Police said the 20-year-old suspect and the 8-year-old male victim may be brothers or stepbrothers. Names were not immediately released.

The incident occurred in an apartment building on 94th Avenue in the Jamaica neighborhood. At around 5:20 p.m., the 29-year-old woman who had been stabbed in the back left the building and ran down the street to MTA police for help. At the same time, building security called 911.

Officers responded within three minutes and went to a fifth-floor apartment after speaking with a witness, police said.

When officers entered the apartment, they found the suspect at knifepoint while holding his 43-year-old father, according to police.

The suspect allegedly repeatedly refused to drop the knife, at which point an officer fired a shot, striking the suspect, police said. Officers immediately rendered aid and the suspect was taken to a nearby hospital, where he died.

According to police, an 8-month-old baby was also in the apartment at the time of the incident, but was unharmed.

“This is just a reminder of what you go through as a New York police officer, what you experience and what you have to decide quickly. And by making those decisions, they saved two lives tonight,” said John Chell, NYPD Chief of Patrol.

The shooting was filmed by police body cameras.

According to police, the 29-year-old woman and the 43-year-old man were taken to area hospitals for treatment of their injuries. Both are expected to survive.

The investigation is ongoing.

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