NEW YORK (Reuters) - A knife-wielding man who fought with police was fatally shot at the height of the morning rush hour on Wednesday on a street in New York's bustling Broadway theater district, police said.
The shooting outside of the Food Emporium at West 49th street and Eighth Avenue, near theaters featuring the hit shows "Wicked" and "The Book of Mormon," occurred at 8:20 a.m., James O'Neill, Chief of Department for the New York City Police, said at a news conference.
He said the incident started when a 46-year-old man who had been trying to purchase beer became aggressive and belligerent with a cashier. The man left the grocery store and encountered a uniformed police officer and, during a struggle, both fell to the ground, O'Neill said.
As the man got back on his feet, he wielded an 8-inch knife, approaching the officer and two other officers coming to his assistance, O'Neill said.
When he refused orders to drop the knife, two officers fired nine shots, killing the man, O'Neill said. The dead man's name was not immediately released.
A 46-year-old female bystander's wrist was grazed by a bullet in the incident and one officer suffered injuries, police said.