A 49-year-old man wielding a blood-covered meat cleaver was shot and critically injured by New York City police officers on Sunday after allegedly stabbing four young girls believed to be his relatives in their home, authorities said.
Two officers opened fire on the suspected attacker when they forced their way into the home and he allegedly ignored repeated orders to drop the bloody weapon and stepped toward the officers, NYPD Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said at a news conference Sunday outside the home where the attack occurred.
Tisch said officers found a “horrific scene” with the walls and floors spattered with blood when they arrived at the apartment in the Bensonhurst neighborhood of Brooklyn.
New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch and NYPD Chief of Department John Chell brief reporters, April 6, 2025, on a stabbing spree that left four young girls injured in a Brooklyn apartment.
WABC
The commissioner said officers went to the home when one of the victims, an 11-year-old girl, called 911 after running and hiding in a bedroom as the attack was going on.
“The 11-year-old caller stated that she and her siblings had been stabbed by their uncle,” Tisch said.
Tisch said the girl didn’t know her address and police used technology to trace the phone the child used to make the call to find the location of the assault in progress.
“Officers and EMS arrived at the door within minutes of receiving the 911 call. Their fast, decisive action pinpointing the location and taking down the door absolutely saved the lives of these young girls,” Tisch said.
The incident unfolded around 10:15 a.m., Tisch said. She said that once the attack began, a young boy who is related to the family ran to a neighbor’s apartment to get help and let police into the building when they arrived.
Tisch said officers were standing in a vestibule of the building when they heard screams coming from an apartment to their left. Officers then kicked open the door to the apartment, she said.
“Once they entered, they encountered a man standing near the entrance holding a large meat cleaver covered in blood and they could see blood on the floor and the walls of the home,” Tisch said.
A New York City police detective holds up photos of two bloody knives recovered from a Brooklyn home where police fatally shot a man who allegedly stabbed four young relatives, April 6, 2025.
WABC
She said the suspect was ordered several times to drop the weapon.
“He refused and advanced toward them,” Tisch said. “Two officers discharged their firearms, firing seven total rounds between them, striking the subject, ending the threat.”
The suspect was taken to Maimonides Medical Center in Brooklyn, where he was in critical condition, police said.
Tisch said the victims — four sisters ages 8, 11, 13 and 16 — all suffered serious slash and stab wounds. They were also taken to Maimonides, where they were being treated. All of the victims are expected to survive.
A motive for the attack remains under investigation.
NYPD Chief of Department John Chell said detectives are attempting to confirm the relationship between the victims and the suspect. He said the mother of the children was not at home at the time of the attack.
Chell said relatives of the suspect told police he has a history of mental illness and lives at the home where the attack occurred.
He added that the preliminary investigation shows that the NYPD had received no previous calls for service to the address.
Besides the meat cleaver, police recovered a second kitchen knife from the scene that Tisch said was also covered in blood.
Tisch said the police shooting was captured on police-worn body cameras.
ABC News’ Chris Berry contributed to this report.
