BROOKLYN, NY - Authorities with the New York Police Department (NYPP) have confirmed that officers fatally shot an armed suspect who was wanted in connection to three murders after the man lunged at the officers while holding a knife.
According to the New York Post, members of the NYPD's Warrant Squad were looking to arrest 38-year-old Vimond Jean-Baptiste on an open bench warrant when the chaos unfolded inside of an apartment building on East 21st Street near Dorchester Road in Flatbush around 5:29 p.m. At a press conference, NYPD Chief of Department Jeffrey Maddrey said that as detectives entered the first-floor apartment, they found Jean-Baptiste "hiding in the bathtub" and noticed that he was holding a knife.
Police gave him verbal commands to drop the knife and to get out of the tub, but Jean-Baptiste would not comply. The officers then tried to use a Taser in an effort to subdue him, but in that moment he lunged at the officers and three officers fired their guns at him. According to AMNY, Deputy Commissioner of Operations Kaz Daughtry said that the Taser did not work and when the commanding officer on scene attempted to deploy it again, be came dangerously close to being stabbed.
He said, "The sergeant then tried to take out another cartridge to insert into the Taser when the suspect came out of the bathroom with a knife and almost attempted to stab our sergeant. The officers were forced to use deadly physical force to take the suspect down." Jean-Baptiste was taken to a local hospital where he died from his injuries.
Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said that as officers pulled Jean-Baptiste out of the building, an officer was hit in the head with a bottle by someone in a crowd who had gathered around not knowing what had happened; at least one arrest was made from that incident.
That officer was taken to a hospital to be treated for his injuries. Kenny said that Jean-Baptiste was a "strong person of interest" in three murders. He was wanted in connection to the stabbing deaths of a man, 24, and a woman, 68, whose bodies were discovered in a Brooklyn apartment back in July.
The woman was found with stab wounds all over her body and a decomposed man was nearby in the Ditmas Avenue residence she shared with her son. A knife from that scene was also recovered. Jean-Baptiste is also believed to be connected to the stabbing death of a 66-year-old woman inside her Flatlands, Brooklyn apartment. That victim, Claudette Jones, was stabbed several times and found dead on August 20th.
Police said that Jean-Baptiste was believed to have been in a romantic relationship with the two female victims. Kenny said in a statement, "His MO seems to be that he begins to date older women and then they allow him to live in their house and use narcotics." Jean-Baptiste had one prior arrest back in 2015 for reckless endangerment and had a bench warrant issued for his arrest in Kings County in 2022.
According to the New York Post, members of the NYPD's Warrant Squad were looking to arrest 38-year-old Vimond Jean-Baptiste on an open bench warrant when the chaos unfolded inside of an apartment building on East 21st Street near Dorchester Road in Flatbush around 5:29 p.m. At a press conference, NYPD Chief of Department Jeffrey Maddrey said that as detectives entered the first-floor apartment, they found Jean-Baptiste "hiding in the bathtub" and noticed that he was holding a knife.
Police gave him verbal commands to drop the knife and to get out of the tub, but Jean-Baptiste would not comply. The officers then tried to use a Taser in an effort to subdue him, but in that moment he lunged at the officers and three officers fired their guns at him. According to AMNY, Deputy Commissioner of Operations Kaz Daughtry said that the Taser did not work and when the commanding officer on scene attempted to deploy it again, be came dangerously close to being stabbed.
He said, "The sergeant then tried to take out another cartridge to insert into the Taser when the suspect came out of the bathroom with a knife and almost attempted to stab our sergeant. The officers were forced to use deadly physical force to take the suspect down." Jean-Baptiste was taken to a local hospital where he died from his injuries.
Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said that as officers pulled Jean-Baptiste out of the building, an officer was hit in the head with a bottle by someone in a crowd who had gathered around not knowing what had happened; at least one arrest was made from that incident.
That officer was taken to a hospital to be treated for his injuries. Kenny said that Jean-Baptiste was a "strong person of interest" in three murders. He was wanted in connection to the stabbing deaths of a man, 24, and a woman, 68, whose bodies were discovered in a Brooklyn apartment back in July.
The woman was found with stab wounds all over her body and a decomposed man was nearby in the Ditmas Avenue residence she shared with her son. A knife from that scene was also recovered. Jean-Baptiste is also believed to be connected to the stabbing death of a 66-year-old woman inside her Flatlands, Brooklyn apartment. That victim, Claudette Jones, was stabbed several times and found dead on August 20th.
Police said that Jean-Baptiste was believed to have been in a romantic relationship with the two female victims. Kenny said in a statement, "His MO seems to be that he begins to date older women and then they allow him to live in their house and use narcotics." Jean-Baptiste had one prior arrest back in 2015 for reckless endangerment and had a bench warrant issued for his arrest in Kings County in 2022.
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