New York man claiming COVID-19 wanted to be shot by cops, law enforcement sources say

PARKCHESTER, The Bronx (WPIX) -- An armed man was shot by police officers in the Bronx early Wednesday morning when he refused to drop his weapons and lunged at the cops, the NYPD said.

According to police, the two officers responded to a 911 call of a man with a knife around 4 a.m. near the intersection of Westchester and Zerega avenues in the Parkchester section of the borough. Officers found a 55-year-old man armed with a knife and what appeared to be a firearm, officials said.

Police say he refused numerous commands to put down his weapons and continued to approach, at which point they both discharged their weapons, shooting the man in the torso, according to the NYPD.

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According to law enforcement sources, authorities believe the man wanted to be shot by police because he has COVID-19. After the shooting the suspect told cops he tested positive for the novel coronavirus, sources said.

The man was taken to a nearby hospital in what police described as stable condition. Law enforcement sources said he was given a COVID-19 test at the hospital, the results of which are still pending.

Police on the scene told PIX11 the firearm appears to perhaps be an imitation pistol or a BB gun.