Authorities in New York City reported that a man was shot and killed by police after he attacked three individuals with a knife on a subway platform at Grand Central Station. The city’s police commissioner, Jessica Tisch, provided details during a press briefing held at the scene.

Commissioner Tisch stated that officers were alerted to the incident around 9:40 AM by a bystander. Upon arrival, they confronted a man armed with a machete who refused to comply with over 20 commands to drop the weapon. The suspect also repeatedly proclaimed, “that he was Lucifer.”

In an effort to defuse the situation, the officers informed the man that they intended to assist him. However, when he approached them with the machete, one officer discharged their weapon, striking the individual twice before administering first aid.

The suspect, later identified as 44-year-old Anthony Griffin, was declared deceased at Bellevue Hospital.

Surveillance footage revealed that Griffin entered the subway system in Queens earlier that morning. His first attack occurred on the 7 train platform, where he inflicted a head wound on an 84-year-old man. He then proceeded to the platform for the 4, 5, and 6 lines, where he assaulted a 65-year-old man, causing a skull fracture, and subsequently attacked a woman, injuring her shoulder.

All three victims were taken to the hospital and are reported to be in stable condition, with injuries that are not expected to be life-threatening, according to the police commissioner.

Tisch noted that the entire event was recorded on body-worn cameras. New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani mentioned on social media that he had received updates regarding the situation.

The police also shared a photograph of the weapon on their social media channels. Tisch indicated that the suspect had a record of three prior arrests but did not have a history of being classified as an “emotionally disturbed person.”

As a precaution, multiple subway trains were directed to bypass Grand Central Station until further notice.