A male suspect died April 7 after being detained by Yonkers police officers following an alleged attack on multiple people inside an apartment, according to a statement from the Yonkers Police Department on April 8.
Police said officers responded to 165 Bruce Ave. after a witness reported that a male suspect was attacking several people and was armed with a knife. According to the department, the alleged assault was ongoing when officers arrived at the scene. Officers initially deployed a Taser in an attempt to subdue the suspect, but it was ineffective. A second Taser deployment also failed to stop the suspect, police said.
Officers then moved in to stop the attack “without escalating force” and placed the suspect into handcuffs. After being handcuffed, police said the suspect became unresponsive. Officers and emergency medical personnel administered medical aid before transporting him to a local hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.
The name of the suspect is being withheld pending family notifications. The Yonkers Police Department’s Internal Affairs Division and the New York State Attorney General’s Office have opened investigations into the death.
Preliminary findings from victim statements, witness accounts, and body-worn camera video indicated that before allegedly attacking two victims, the suspect had been using drugs with a friend. The victims sustained significant injuries including bite wounds and blunt-force trauma from household objects such as a frying pan and metal stovetop grate; one victim also suffered a laceration consistent with injury from a sharp instrument.
Police said that only two unsuccessful Taser deployments were used by officers at the scene and no physical strikes or impact weapons were involved. The cause of death remains under investigation. According to police, there is currently no indication that police actions caused the death; an autopsy revealed several underlying medical conditions which could have contributed to it while toxicology results are pending. More information can be found in the organization’s press release.
