Man With Butcher Knife Shot Dead by NYPD Officers on Lower East Side

New York Police Department officers opened fire on a 54-year-old man Sunday afternoon after he approached them with a large butcher knife inside a Lower East Side residential building. The fatal shooting occurred shortly after 4 p.m. at 126 Ludlow Street, where police had responded to multiple emergency calls reporting an ongoing assault. Officers discovered a blood trail leading up the staircase upon entering the building, according to NYPD Assistant Chief Melissa Eger.

As officers ascended the stairs, they encountered Wei Chan moving downward while holding what police characterized as a large butcher knife. Officers repeatedly ordered Chan to drop the weapon and show his hands, but he continued advancing toward them despite the commands. The officers discharged their weapons, striking Chan, who was transported to a nearby hospital and pronounced dead.

Investigators determined that Chan had attacked his 75-year-old father, Cheung Chan, before police arrived, leaving him with a laceration to the head. The father was hospitalized and is expected to recover from his injuries. Eger noted that while Wei Chan had no prior criminal record with the department, he maintained a documented history of mental health issues with police.

The responding officers received medical evaluation at a hospital following the incident. Mayor Zohran Mamdani confirmed the shooting would undergo an internal review, with body-camera footage to be released to the public. The investigation into the circumstances of the shooting remains ongoing.