Video shows lead up to police killing of knife-wielding man in Astoria

Video released by the attorney general’s office shows the police killing of 60-year-old King Wong, who waved a knife at the officers in April and who had a history of mental illness. Screenshot via NYAG’s office

By Jacob Kaye

The New York attorney general’s office on Tuesday released footage of the police shooting of a knife-wielding 60-year-old man in Astoria earlier this year as the AG continues their investigation into the officers who shot the fatal bullets.

The footage marks the first look into the death of King Wong, who was killed by police officers who shot him after he refused to drop a 14-inch knife he was carrying on the street during the early morning hours of April 14.

Wong reportedly had a long history of mental illness and was allegedly experiencing a moment of mental distress when the fatal confrontation unfolded.

New York Attorney General Letitia James’ office released body-worn camera footage on Tuesday recorded by the four officers involved in the shooting.

Video shows two officers, identified as Officer Acosta and Officer Tavarez, arriving to the intersection of 31st Street and 30th Avenue around 6:20 a.m. to find Wong with a long blade.

Shielding themselves with the doors of their police car, the cops repeatedly told Wong to “put the knife down.”

Wong waved the knife around a couple of times before both Acosta and Tavarez shot their Tasers at him. Though he appeared to flinch when the Tasers were fired, the weapon didn’t appear to deter Wong.

Still ignoring the cops’ demand to drop the knife, Wong began to walk away.

While he was walking away, two other officers, identified as Officer Coissy and Officer Lamonica, joined Acosta and Tavarez and together began walking behind Wong.

At one point, Wong turned toward Coissy and Lamonica and began to walk toward them while waving the knife.

The four officers then began to shoot Wong and unloaded around a dozen bullets before Wong fell to the ground.

Wong was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital not long after the shooting.

The entire encounter lasted a little longer than two minutes.

Immediately after the shooting, top police officials said Wong had two “incidents of mental disorder” that involved the NYPD.

According to reporting by Gothamist, Wong lived for many years with his parents in the Woodside Houses but was living there alone for the past several years after the death of both his mother and father.

Police fatally shot a dozen people throughout the city last year, Gothamist reported. Some were experiencing a mental health crisis.

According to New York Lawyers for the Public Interest, at least 20 New Yorkers were killed by police while in the midst of a mental health crisis.

The release of the footage on Tuesday “follows Attorney General James’ directive that camera footage obtained by her office during an OSI investigation be released to the public to increase transparency and strengthen public trust in these matters.”

The AG’s office investigates every death involving a police officer, peace officer or corrections officer, as per New York State law.