By MES Dispatch staff
The Briefing
- • A 62-year-old former New York Police Department officer was fatally shot by police after brandishing a sharp edged weapon in a Brooklyn hospital room, authorities said.
- • The incident occurred Jan. 8, 2026, at NewYork-Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital, with the man barricaded in a room and threatening others.
- • Officers repeatedly ordered him to drop the weapon and attempted to deploy Tasers before using deadly force.
- • A hospital security member and another patient were inside with the suspect when officers arrived; injuries to others have not been disclosed.
- • The New York State Attorney General’s Office opened a special investigation into the shooting.
BROOKLYN, NY — A former New York Police Department officer was fatally shot by police Jan. 8 after threatening others with a sharp edged weapon while barricaded inside a room at NewYork-Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital, authorities said.
The man, identified by the NYPD as 62-year-old Michael Lynch of Brooklyn, was admitted to the hospital and later armed himself with a sharp object, cut his wrists and began threatening to injure others shortly before 5:30 p.m., NYPD Assistant Chief Charles Minch said at a press conference.
When officers arrived on the eighth floor, they encountered Lynch in a blood-spattered room with an elderly patient and a hospital security guard. Officers issued repeated verbal commands for him to drop the weapon and attempted to use Tasers, which were ineffective, authorities said.
Police said Lynch then advanced toward officers with the weapon, prompting responding officers to discharge their firearms and strike him. He was pronounced dead at the scene. A sharp object was recovered from the room, officials said.
The New York State Attorney General’s Office’s Office of Special Investigation has opened an inquiry into the shooting, as required under state law when police force may have caused a civilian’s death, officials said.