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The New York Police Department (NYPD) said an officer shot and killed a suspect who claimed to be “Lucifer” in Grand Central Terminal while allegedly attacking three people with a machete on the subway platform.
Officers shot and killed 44-year-old Anthony Griffin after he advanced towards them with a machete, ignoring over 20 warnings to stop, NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said in a Saturday press conference.
Officers responded to a 9:40 a.m. 911 call of an assault in progress at the train station. Upon arrival, they found Griffin wielding the machete, police said.
Griffin was “repeatedly stating that he was Lucifer,” Tisch said.
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After Griffin refused orders to drop the knife, one officer discharged his service weapon and shot him twice, she added. Griffin was transported to a local hospital and died.
Griffin had three prior unsealed arrests but no history of being an emotionally disturbed person, Tisch told reporters.
The three stabbing victims were an 84-year-old male, a 70-year-old female, and a 64-year-old male. All three were transported to local hospitals but are all in stable condition.
The 84-year-old sustained face and head lacerations, the 65-year old man sustained similar injuries in addition to an open skull fracture. The 70-year-old sustained shoulder lacerations.
Two NYPD officers were also taken to hospitals with minor injuries.
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Tisch lauded her officers for taking action while admonishing the dangers of violent crime.
“Random acts of violence scare everyone. Anyone can be a victim of random violence and that is why it is so important for New Yorkers to understand that the NYPD has recently upped our presence in the transit system,” Tisch said, while saying the NYPD added 175 additional officers last month.
The 4, 5, 6, and 7 trains are skipping the Grand Central Terminal 42nd St. stop while the NYPD conduct an investigation, the Metro Transit Authority (MTA) told Fox News Digital.
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New York Gov. Kathy Hochul weighed in, calling the series of stabbings a “senseless act of violence” in a Saturday morning tweet.
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“I’m grateful to our brave officers who acted quickly to stop the suspect,” she wrote, adding that Albany would be working closely with the NYPD on the investigation.
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