Woman Shot by NYPD in Queens After Stabbing Rampage at Family Home

Police shot a woman twice in the stomach during a chaotic stabbing incident in Jamaica, Queens. Her partner says she was trying to help officers, not threaten them.

NYPD Opens Fire on Woman Who Tried to Help Police During Queens Stabbing

A woman was shot twice by New York City police officers during a violent late-night incident in Jamaica, Queens, after she was mistaken for a threat while still holding a knife she had taken from her attacker, abc7ny.com reports.

The incident unfolded at approximately 9:30 p.m. on Friday at a home on 149th Street. Four people were stabbed during the episode, which began when 48-year-old Rashawn Donovan — a visitor to the residence — attacked multiple family members with two knives.

Edward Grant, 39, of South Ozone Park, said he and his girlfriend of more than a decade were asleep in their attic bedroom when they heard a disturbance from the floor below.

"My girlfriend's brother, he was having a mental health issue, and snapped on us," Grant said.

When Grant went downstairs, he found his girlfriend's nephew, Koran Davis, 23, bleeding from a stab wound to the shoulder. Davis said he had been asleep when Donovan entered his room through the door.

"It was just shock. Abrupt. And it was so fast," Davis said, describing the moment he locked eyes with his attacker.

Grant and his girlfriend retreated to the attic, locking the door and calling police. Donovan broke through the door moments later. Grant's girlfriend pepper-sprayed him as he charged toward Grant, who was stabbed in the arm. She then managed to take one of the two knives from Donovan.

Within roughly 30 seconds, officers entered the attic.

"They told us to put your hands up and get down on the ground, which I did, I complied," Grant said. "Nicky was in a little corner. She really couldn't get on the floor. I don't think she realised she still had the knife in her hand. She was trying to get on the floor, but she had to step over me. The only thing I heard was, 'she got a knife,' and then, not even deem to give her a chance to drop the knife."

Officers shot the woman twice in the stomach. Grant said a second officer then tased her while she was already on the ground.

An NYPD official provided a brief account of the officers' perspective. "There was no physical description of a perpetrator provided to the officers via radio," the official said. "She was within several feet of the officers when an officer discharged his firearm."

Grant described the moment as deeply frustrating. "She was the one that was helping y'all. She was the one that threw the keys out the window for you to get in the house because he kept blocking the doors," he said.

Davis, who was among those stabbed, also questioned the officers' response. "It was excessive," he said. "I understand officers have to act very fast. But I feel like they didn't give her any time to at least disarm herself."

The woman who was shot remains in stable condition. Donovan has been charged with two counts of attempted murder, assault, and criminal possession of a weapon. Authorities confirmed that four people in total sustained stab wounds during the incident, including Davis, his father, Grant, and Grant's girlfriend.

Source: Google News MT — Crime (en)