NYPD Fatally Shoots Man Who Charged Officers With Boxcutter, Police Say

December 21, 2025 | QUEENS, NY – An NYPD officer shot and killed a 29-year-old man early Sunday morning after police say he charged at officers while holding a boxcutter during a domestic incident inside a Far Rockaway apartment, according to police.

Officers responded around 12:25 a.m. to a 911 call from the man’s parents at an apartment building on Nameoke Street. The parents reported their son was behaving erratically and armed with a boxcutter, police said.
Two officers entered the apartment with the parents but initially did not locate the man. As they exited the unit into the hallway, the man appeared holding the boxcutter, according to Chief of Patrol Philip Rivera.

Police say the man’s father attempted to intervene and struggled with his son as officers repeatedly ordered the man to drop the weapon. He refused to comply. One officer deployed a Taser, but the man continued forward and charged at the officers while still holding the boxcutter, police said.
An officer then fired their service weapon, striking the man. He was pronounced dead at the scene. No officers were injured.