Police Shoot Man At NYC Grocery Store, NYPD Officials Say

EAST HARLEM, NY — Police officers shot a man after he threatened them with a large knife in an East Harlem grocery store overnight on Sunday, New York City Police Department officials said.

The chaotic incident began when the 53-year-old man got into a dispute inside a grocery store on Third Avenue near East 120th Street at 1:15 a.m., officials said.

Following the argument, the man had to be physically removed from the store by several employees, but then returned with a kitchen knife 13 inches long, NYPD officials said.

"When he returned, he had a large kitchen knife in his hand and was banging on the exterior glass of the window with the knife," NYPD Inspector Andrew Natiw said at a press briefing.

Workers at the grocery store called 911, and when NYPD officers showed up, the man approached the officials with the knife, Natiw said.

"The officers gave multiple verbal commands to drop the knife and attempted to create physical distance between himself and the subject," Natiw said. "But the subject quickly advanced towards the officers with the knife extended out."

When the suspect got too close to one of the officers, one of them shot the man, Natiw said.

The 53-year-old was rushed to Harlem Hospital, where he underwent emergency surgery. The man is in critical but stable condition, police said.

The shooting is under investigation by the NYPD's force investigation division.

For questions, email Miranda.Levingston@Patch.com.