NYPD: Cops shoot, kill Queens woman, 54, who confronted them with knife

A Queens woman who called 911 to report a burglary lunged with a knife at responding officers and was fatally shot by one of them, the NYPD said Monday.

When officers arrived about 5:30 p.m. at a two-family home on 69th Street in the Maspeth neighborhood of Queens, a woman, 54, identified herself as the 911 caller and told them she believed a female intruder with a knife or razor was in the upstairs apartment, police said.

As officers searched the apartment, the woman who said she was the 911 caller came in with a 10-inch knife, Chief of Detectives Dermot Shea said.

Body camera video showed the woman was ordered to put the knife down, just before gunfire struck her in the torso, police said. The woman, whose name was not released, was pronounced dead at the scene, authorities said. 

"At some point during the time in the apartment, which was a total of 50 seconds from the time the officers entered the front of the apartment, two shots were fired," Shea said. "The 54-year-old woman came at the officers with a knife and lunged at them. One of the officers gave direction to put the knife down. We know this because there was body camera video. Subsequently one officer discharges his service weapon three times, striking the female in the torso."

Details on what prompted the first two shots were not immediately available early Tuesday, an NYPD spokesman said.

A 10-inch knife was recovered at the scene, officials said.

Shea said the motive for the attack is not known but noted that "there is a history of calls to this location."

Earlier Monday an NYPD spokesman said none of the officers was wearing a body camera.

By Anthony M. DeStefano

tony.destefano@newsday.com,ellen.yan@newsday.comtonynewsday,

Anthony M. DeStefano has been a reporter for Newsday since 1986 and covers law enforcement, criminal justice and legal affairs from its New York City offices.