NYPD Fatally Shoots Knife-Wielding Man In Lower East Side Stairwell
Shortly after 4 p.m. on Sunday, August 16, 2026, NYPD officers fatally shot a 54-year-old man armed with a large butcher knife in a stairwell at 126 Ludlow Street on Manhattan's Lower East Side.[1]
Officers followed a trail of blood up the staircase and encountered the man, identified as Wei Chan, descending while wielding the knife; they shot him after repeated commands to drop the weapon.[1] Wei Chan was pronounced dead at a local hospital, and his 75-year-old father, Cheung Chan, was found with a head laceration and is expected to survive.[1] Assistant Chief Melissa Eger said Wei Chan had a documented mental-health history with the NYPD but no known criminal record.[1] Mayor Zohran Mamdani said the incident will be investigated internally and that NYPD body-camera footage of the shooting will be released.[1]
Officers had responded to multiple 911 calls reporting an assault at 126 Ludlow Street before finding the bleeding victim and encountering Wei Chan in the stairwell.[1]
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📌 Key Facts
- On Sunday, August 16, 2026, shortly after 4 p.m., NYPD officers responded to multiple 911 calls about an assault at 126 Ludlow Street on Manhattan's Lower East Side.
- Officers followed a trail of blood up a staircase and encountered 54-year-old Wei Chan descending while armed with a large butcher knife; after repeated commands to drop the weapon, they shot him.
- Chan was pronounced dead at a local hospital, while his 75-year-old father, Cheung Chan, was found with a head laceration allegedly inflicted by his son and is expected to survive.
- Assistant Chief Melissa Eger said Wei Chan had a documented mental-health history with the NYPD but no known criminal record.
- Mayor Zohran Mamdani said the incident will be investigated internally and that NYPD body-camera footage of the shooting will be released.
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