According to police, they used deadly force after the man, identified as Jean Baptiste, tried to stab an officer.They said that a Taser was initially deployed but was ineffective. The bench warrant had been issued in Kings County in 2022.
At a news conference, chief of detectives Joseph Kenny mentioned that Jean Baptiste was a “strong person of interest” in three homicides this summer. It remains unclear if the officers were aware of this before the shooting.
Man hides in bathtub
Around 5:20 pm, members of a Brooklyn warrant squad located Jean Baptiste at 485 E. 21st St. He was found fully dressed in a hooded sweatshirt, hiding in a bathtub. Police ordered him to show his hands and noticed he had a knife. When he failed to comply, a sergeant used a Taser.
The first Taser cartridge was ineffective, and as the sergeant prepared to use another, Jean Baptiste allegedly jumped out of the tub, advancing toward the officers with the knife. “At least three officers shot at him, and he fell to the ground, but it was not immediately known how many rounds had been fired,” said Jeffrey Maddrey, the chief of department.
After the shooting, police officers and local residents crowded the streets near the apartment building, with some neighbors claiming to have known Jean Baptiste or heard the gunshots.
The incident occurred on the same day Thomas Donlon was sworn in as the new Police Department Commissioner. The previous commissioner, Edward Caban, resigned on Thursday due to a federal investigation, and his resignation took effect on Friday.
Lifesaving aid provided to man
Officers handcuffed Jean Baptiste and attempted to administer lifesaving aid before he was transported to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The Police Department is investigating the shooting.
‘Strong person of interest’
Chief Kenny said that Baptiste was a “strong person of interest” in the fatal stabbings of a 66-year-old woman last month and a 24-year-old man and a 54-year-old woman in July. Officials also revealed that Baptiste had a “romantic relationship” with at least one of the homicide victims.
