On Sunday, Darell Mickles, 37, was confronted by police after he evaded a fare and then boarded a train. During the arrest, Mickles pulled a knife on the officers and was shot when he advanced on them following orders to drop the weapon. The NYPD says there is body-cam footage that will be released in the coming days that shows the officers shouting commands dozens of times to drop the knife and using tasers prior to using their guns.
John Chell, chief of patrol for the New York Police Department, told Newsmax on Friday that the shooting was not over a fare evasion. "This was a person in mental distress who was armed with a deadly weapon. Our cops were put in a tough spot. They did everything they could to help this man. But at the end, they had to use deadly physical force to do so," he said during an in-studio appearance on "American Agenda."
Mayor Eric Adams said the officers were justified in the shooting and noted he has seen the video of the incident.
NYPD Deputy Commissioner of Operations Kaz Daughtry was in studio to join the conversation and that despite the public perception of New York's subways, he would like the public to keep things in perspective.
"The numbers speak for itself," Daughtry said. "Crime is down in our subway systems. The New York City Subway system is transporting over 4 million riders a day. And we're talking about six major crimes in the subway system. That's remarkable for our subway system."
"Our subways are safe," he added.
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James Morley III ✉
James Morley III is a writer with more than two decades of experience in entertainment, travel, technology, and science and nature.
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