NEW YORK, NY – A standoff with the NYPD took a fatal turn as a barricaded suspect was shot dead in a Lower East Side apartment. The man was under investigation in connection to an unresolved bar shooting that occurred on the Upper East Side in October.
The suspect, 43-year-old Kent Edwards, was traced to an Eldridge Street apartment before midday following a series of physical and electronic surveillance strategies. According to NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny, Edwards was “couch surfing and going to different locations”.
Upon police arrival, they discovered Edwards had barricaded himself in a bathroom armed with a 9 mm weapon after two women answered the door.
Efforts to negotiate with Edwards were unsuccessful, leading to police deploying a rolling camera, a drone, and later a robotic device equipped with a camera, known as an Avatar. As the Avatar entered the apartment, officers followed behind using their shields for protection.
The suspect then instigated a confrontation, firing four shots at the officers, one of which struck an officer’s ballistic shield and another hitting a bulletproof vest. NYPD Chief of Department Jeffrey Maddrey commented on the close call, stating the bullets “could have easily been three bullets inside our officers.”
Officers responded with a volley of bullets, striking and mortally wounding Edwards. He was transported to Bellevue Hospital where he was later declared deceased.
Edwards was known to police, with a record that includes a rape conviction and 11 arrests since 1995. More recently, he was identified as a suspect in a shooting incident outside Iggy’s Bar on the Upper East Side on October 18.