A knife-wielding man who allegedly barricaded himself in a Fort Lee (N.J.) home with a teenage girl was shot and killed by police officers responding to the emergency.
Officers with the Fort Lee Police Department responded to a 911 call at a home on John Street around 8:13 a.m. Saturday, the state attorney general’s office said in a statement.
Police shot the man, who was pronounced dead at 10:39 a.m., but details of what happened and the link between the victim and the teenage girl are unclear.
Neighbors at the Cedar Court condominium told CBS News that the man barricaded himself in with an underage girl. Arriving officers then tried to talk to him for hours, and when they attempted to remove the teen from the 3rd floor, the adult became aggressive and threw objects out of the house. He also reportedly had a knife.
“Eventually SWAT and everyone arrived, and they brought the crane,” said building superintendent Daniel Sulozeqi. “Very good idea to get the girl out, but when they were about to go with the crane, the guy came out on his deck with a knife and threatened the police. They shot him right there. They had no choice.“
Mayor Mark Socolich said the unidentified man was visiting from out of state. He added that one officer suffered minor injuries. The state attorney general’s office announced that the investigation was ongoing and that no further information would be released.
In a similar case, in early January, a 60-year-old public relations executive was beaten to death by her partner, who then barricaded himself in their Brooklyn (NYC) apartment.
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