NYPD cops fatally shoot knife-wielding man who charged at them after stabbing wife at family party

Max Rivera, Kenneth Garger
·3 min read
Police fatally shot a knife-wielding man who charged at them after stabbing his wife at a family party packed with children in their Queens apartment, authorities and neighbors said.
Police fatally shot a knife-wielding man who charged at them after stabbing his wife at a family party packed with children in their Queens apartment, authorities and neighbors said.
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.

Police fatally shot a knife-wielding man who charged at them after stabbing his wife at a family party packed with children in their Queens apartment, authorities and neighbors said.

The gathering on the second floor of a building on 62nd Avenue in Forest Hills turned tragic when a 46-year-old man knifed his partner at least twice in the stomach in front of other partygoers around 6:50 p.m., police and the neighbors said.

Police said there had been some sort of dispute — and hours before the stabbing the wife called her brother, telling him she and her husband were “having problems,” he told The Post.

After the attack, somebody in the building called 911. Four cops then arrived, and they ran into the suspect, who was carrying a 12-inch knife in the second-floor hallway, Chief of Department Jeffrey Maddrey said at a Friday night press conference.

NYPD cops fatally shot a knife-wielding man who charged at them after stabbing his wife at a family party packed with children in their Forest Hills, Queens, apartment, authorities and neighbors said. Wayne Carrington
NYPD cops fatally shot a knife-wielding man who charged at them after stabbing his wife at a family party packed with children in their Forest Hills, Queens, apartment, authorities and neighbors said. Wayne Carrington

The cops ordered the man to “drop the knife,” but he refused and “charged” at them with the weapon, Maddrey said.

One of the cops, a sergeant, then discharged his Taser, while two officers fired their guns at least four times, striking the suspect.

Cops rendered aid until EMS showed up, Maddrey said.

Firefighters were seen performing CPR on the suspect, rushing him into a waiting ambulance.

The man, who neighbors said was from Uzbekistan, was taken to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

His wife is being treated at a local hospital and is expected to survive.

The cops who discharged their weapons are being treated for tinnitus.

Four cops, including a sergeant, were dispatched to the building and when they ascended the stairs, they ran into the suspect carrying a 12-inch knife in the second-floor hallway. Wayne Carrington
Four cops, including a sergeant, were dispatched to the building and when they ascended the stairs, they ran into the suspect carrying a 12-inch knife in the second-floor hallway. Wayne Carrington

The couple have four children, and Maddrey confirmed several kids were present at Friday’s party.

The suspect’s distraught brother-in-law, Zafar, told The Post the couple had a great relationship until things recently soured.

“My sister just called me today and said ‘we are having problems’,” said Zafar, who lives in Brooklyn.

“Things have been great for them up until the last month,” he said. That’s when they started to have husband and wife issues.”

Zafar said his brother-in-law was unemployed and had been staying at home due to a sinus issue.

Neighbors in the building on the tree-lined street said such violent crime is uncommon in the area.

“This is usually a safe neighborhood,” one local said.

“I’ve lived in this building for 10 years, nothing like this has ever happened,” said a man who lives on the same floor as the husband who knifed his wife.

The cops ordered the man to “‘drop the knife’” but he refused and “charged” at them with the weapon, Maddrey said. Peter Gerber
The cops ordered the man to “‘drop the knife’” but he refused and “charged” at them with the weapon, Maddrey said. Peter Gerber
The sergeant then discharged his Taser while two officers fired their guns at least four times, striking the suspect. Peter Gerber
The sergeant then discharged his Taser while two officers fired their guns at least four times, striking the suspect. Peter Gerber
Cops rendered aid until EMS showed up, Chief of Department Jeffrey Maddrey said. Peter Gerber
Cops rendered aid until EMS showed up, Chief of Department Jeffrey Maddrey said. Peter Gerber

The neighbor, who was at work when the incident took place, received a frantic call from his wife and rushed home.

When he arrived, he stumbled upon a grisly scene.

“There was blood in the staircase and in the hallway,” he said.

Additional reporting by Joe Marino and Larry Celona