New York mayor claims police shot subway suspect over a weapon, not fare evasion

New York City Mayor Eric Adams said officers were justified in the shooting of a man who was allegedly wielding a knife in the subway over the weekend, leaving three bystanders — including another officer — injured.

"This was a bad guy and I saw the video," Adams said during a Tuesday press conference.

Adams claims the suspect, who is recovering after being shot by police, had over 20 prior arrests.

The New York Police Department has been criticized over the incident, with many stating the suspect was targeted for not paying a fare and it did not warrant injuring innocent bystanders. But Adams said the man was not pursued by police because of fare evasion, but because he had a knife and officers repeatedly asked him to drop the weapon.

"This is not a city where any and everything goes. There's a reason there's a fare on our subway and bus. If lawmakers want to make the subways and buses free, then fine. But as long as there are rules, we're going to follow those rules," Adams said.

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The shooting happened Sunday afternoon at the Sutter Avenue subway station in Brooklyn.

Just after 3 p.m., two NYPD officers confronted a 37-year-old man with a blade, initially following him onto the elevated platform after seeing him enter without paying, Chief of Department Jeffrey Maddrey said at a news briefing Sunday.

According to Maddrey, the officers told the man to stop, but he verbally threatened them and they noticed he had a knife. They followed him onto a train that had pulled into the station and fired two Tasers, but neither incapacitated him. The man was advancing on the officers with the knife when both officers fired multiple rounds, he said.

The man was hit several times and remained hospitalized in stable condition Monday. One passenger, a 49-year-old man, was struck in the head and was hospitalized in critical condition. Another, a 26-year-old woman, suffered a graze wound.

The wounded police officer was hit under his armpit and a bullet lodged in his back, but he is expected to make a full recovery.

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Police and Metropolitan Transportation Authority officials say that the encounter, including the officers being threatened with the knife, is captured in video recordings. They have not released the footage.

A video from a bystander posted online after the shooting showed a chaotic scene, including upset passengers fleeing, police running to help the injured, and the wounded officer suddenly realizing he had also been hit by a bullet.

Police said in the aftermath that another man made off with the knife from the crime scene. The department is now looking for that man and released an image of a person wearing a blue hat featuring the logo of the defunct Hartford Whalers ice hockey team.