- The man who barricaded himself and was shot by NYPD officers has been identified as Kent Edwards, 43
- He was a violent sex offender who was also wanted for a shooting earlier in 2023
- Edwards was pronounced dead at the hospital and a shot officer suffered non-life-threatening injuries
The armed man who NYPD officers shot dead after barricading himself in a midtown Manhattan apartment on Thursday has been identified as a violent sex offender.
A standoff between 43-year-old Kent Edwards and police began before noon and lasted at least two hours. It started when Edwards locked himself in the bathroom on the second floor of Eldridge St.
When officers knocked on the door to enter with a search warrant, two women answered and told the Manhattan Violent Felony Squad that Edwards had a gun.
“There was one police car there and the guy was waving a gun out the window,” said Diana Albahondo, who lives across the street.
Police said Edwards was wanted because he shot a man earlier this year and has a lengthy criminal history.
Kent Edwards, 43, has been identified as the man who barricaded himself in a midtown Manhattan apartment on Thursday. He was shot and killed by the NYPD
Edwards has 11 arrests dating back to 1995 and has served 12 years behind bars for attempted rape and sale of a controlled substance, according to the New York Daily News. He was released from prison in 2012.
In February 2023, he was arrested again for rape. He also had an active arrest warrant for failure to register as a sex offender.
Footage from Thursday's scene on Eldridge St posted on the Citizen app showed several NYPD officers with long guns surrounding a building.
Officers with riot shields stood outside for hours waiting for a peaceful solution.
But around 2 p.m. shots rang out after detainees entered the apartment with long guns.
Witnesses said they saw a SWAT team leader enter the building just minutes before they heard at least six shots.
Paramedics then entered the building and took someone to an ambulance.
The officer who was shot was taken to a nearby hospital and suffered non-life-threatening injuries
Police attempted to question Edwards about an unsolved shooting from earlier this year
Edwards allegedly shot at police, hitting a ballistic shield protecting one of the officers.
That's when another officer reportedly returned fire.
An officer who was shot was taken to a nearby hospital and suffered non-life-threatening injuries
The gunman was taken to Bellevue Hospital in critical condition and was later pronounced dead.
Police were trying to question him about an unsolved shooting when they tracked him down at the apartment.
Witnesses said they saw a SWAT team leader inside the building just minutes before they heard at least six shots
Footage from the Eldridge St scene posted on the Citizen app shows several NYPD officers with long guns surrounding a building
Edwards barricaded himself in a bathroom with a gun when police tried to talk to him.
ABC reports that officers dispatched a drone, which attacked the man with a broomstick.
Police posted on
University Settlement, which provides education and social services, said one of its buildings at 184 Eldridge St. had to be entered from the south due to police activity.