An NYPD officer was injured by friendly fire during a chaotic confrontation with a knife-wielding suspect at a Brooklyn train station. The incident, which occurred at the Sutter Avenue L Train Station on Sept. 15, 2024, was captured on body-worn cameras and shows Officers Edmund Mays and Alex Wong attempting to subdue the suspect, Derrell Mickles.
Mickles, 37, allegedly jumped a subway turnstile to avoid paying the fare, prompting Officers Mays and Wong to confront him. Video footage reveals that Mickles returned to the station after initially leaving, entering through an exit gate with a knife concealed behind his back.
The officers demanded Mickles show his hands and drop the weapon, but he refused. Mickles shouted at the officers, telling them to “shoot me” and to leave him alone. When tasers failed to subdue him, Mickles tried to flee, prompting the officers to open fire.
Officer Wong fired six rounds and Officer Mays fired three, with one of the bullets accidentally striking Mays. “I’m shot,” Mays can be heard saying in the video footage. Two bystanders were also injured during the exchange, though none of the injuries were life- threatening.
Mickles was subdued after being shot but still held onto his knife until Officer Mays kicked it away. As officers rendered aid to Mickles, a bystander reportedly made off with the knife, though it was later recovered by police.
Mickles was arrested and charged with several crimes, including attempted assault and criminal possession of a weapon. The incident has drawn attention to the dangers law enforcement faces in high-stakes situations where suspects are armed and unpredictable.
