December 21, 2025 What started as a frantic call for help from two terrified parents ended in a hail of gunfire and a family shattered forever. In the cramped, dimly lit hallway of a Far Rockaway apartment building, the thin line between a domestic intervention and a deadly confrontation evaporated in seconds.
The Midnight Call
It was just after midnight on Sunday when the peace at 11870 Nameoke Street was punctured by a 911 call. A 29-year-old man, reportedly spiraling and armed with a box cutter, had become a threat his parents could no longer manage alone.
When the NYPD arrived at 12:25 a.m., they found the man's parents waiting outside—a grim prelude to the chaos that was about to unfold.
The Empty Apartment and the Hallway Ambush
The officers and the parents entered the apartment together, bracing for a confrontation, but the unit was eerily empty. It wasn't until the group turned to leave that the nightmare began.
The 29-year-old was waiting in the hallway.
In a scene described as high-tension and rapidly escalating, the man’s father reportedly lunged toward his son, attempting a physical intervention that may have been a last-ditch effort to save him or stop him.
"Drop the Weapon!"
According to NYPD Chief of Patrol Philip Rivera, officers spent those final moments shouting commands, pleading with the man to drop the box cutter. But the de-escalation tactics failed. As the father finally retreated behind the blue line of the officers, the suspect reportedly charged.
In a split-second "force-of-choice" scenario:
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Officer One deployed a Taser.
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Officer Two, seeing the suspect continuing to advance at close range, drew his service weapon and fired.
The Aftermath
The hallway quickly transitioned from a crime scene to a makeshift trauma unit. Officers performed CPR on the man before EMS rushed him to Jamaica Hospital, where he was ultimately pronounced dead.
