MANHATTAN, NY - Officers with the New York Police Department (NYPD) fatally shot a man in his forties who attacked three victims with a knife in the Grand Central-42nd Street Station in Manhattan on Saturday morning, April 11.
The victims, an 84-year-old man, a 65-year-old man, and a 70-year-old woman, were transported to area hospitals with stab wounds and are in stable condition, PIX11 reported. The alleged suspect, identified as 44-year-old Anthony Griffin, had three unsealed prior arrests, according to NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch.
Surveillance footage captured Griffin boarding a No. 7 train at the Vernon Boulevard station in Queens at around 9:30 a.m. Upon arriving at Grand Central, Griffin allegedly stabbed the 84-year-old man on the No. 7 platform with what is described as a machete, before heading up to the Nos. 4, 5, and 6 platforms where he stabbed the other two victims.
Responding officers gave Griffin 20 direct orders to drop the weapon and even tried to de-escalate the situation, telling him that they could get him help, according to authorities. Griffin reportedly ignored the orders and advanced at the officers with his knife. It was in those moments that one of the officers opened fire on him, NBC News reported.
"Our officers were confronted with an armed individual who had already injured multiple people and was continuing to pose a threat,” Tisch said. “They gave clear commands. They attempted to de-escalate, and when that threat did not stop, they took decisive action to stop it and to protect New Yorkers on one of the busiest train platforms in the city."
Two law enforcement officers said the standoff lasted 10 minutes before officers fatally shot Griffin. Authorities said that the victims did not know the suspect and that the attack appeared to be random.
Griffin was transported by EMS to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead. A witness said he saw at least one person slashed with a large knife, which he described as a machete. When the witness arrived at the uptown platform, he saw officers with their guns already drawn, yelling commands to drop the knife.
The witness said he then heard around five gunshots. Governor Kathy Hochul said she was briefed on the incident, posting to X: "Two innocent people were attacked in a senseless act of violence. I'm grateful to our brave officers who acted quickly to stop the suspect. We're working closely with the NYPD as the investigation unfolds."
The victims, an 84-year-old man, a 65-year-old man, and a 70-year-old woman, were transported to area hospitals with stab wounds and are in stable condition, PIX11 reported. The alleged suspect, identified as 44-year-old Anthony Griffin, had three unsealed prior arrests, according to NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch.
Surveillance footage captured Griffin boarding a No. 7 train at the Vernon Boulevard station in Queens at around 9:30 a.m. Upon arriving at Grand Central, Griffin allegedly stabbed the 84-year-old man on the No. 7 platform with what is described as a machete, before heading up to the Nos. 4, 5, and 6 platforms where he stabbed the other two victims.
Responding officers gave Griffin 20 direct orders to drop the weapon and even tried to de-escalate the situation, telling him that they could get him help, according to authorities. Griffin reportedly ignored the orders and advanced at the officers with his knife. It was in those moments that one of the officers opened fire on him, NBC News reported.
"Our officers were confronted with an armed individual who had already injured multiple people and was continuing to pose a threat,” Tisch said. “They gave clear commands. They attempted to de-escalate, and when that threat did not stop, they took decisive action to stop it and to protect New Yorkers on one of the busiest train platforms in the city."
Two law enforcement officers said the standoff lasted 10 minutes before officers fatally shot Griffin. Authorities said that the victims did not know the suspect and that the attack appeared to be random.
Griffin was transported by EMS to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead. A witness said he saw at least one person slashed with a large knife, which he described as a machete. When the witness arrived at the uptown platform, he saw officers with their guns already drawn, yelling commands to drop the knife.
The witness said he then heard around five gunshots. Governor Kathy Hochul said she was briefed on the incident, posting to X: "Two innocent people were attacked in a senseless act of violence. I'm grateful to our brave officers who acted quickly to stop the suspect. We're working closely with the NYPD as the investigation unfolds."
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