A 44-year-old man who police say was pointing a gun that turned out to be fake died after being shot multiple times by an off-duty police officer on Staten Island, cops said Friday night.

The off-duty officer shot the man several times throughout his body after the victim allegedly waved the mock gun during the encounter on William Ave. near Hylan Boulevard in the borough’s Great Kills section around 8:20 p.m., according to police.

“We believe this is a suicide by cop,” a police source said, using the police term for someone who wants to be killed by an officer.

Assistant Police Chief Melissa Eger, commander of Patrol Borough Staten Island, in a press conference several hours after the shooting, said that at 8:02 p.m., police received a call about a man with a gun in the rear of Andrew’s Diner, at the location. The man then left the diner and was walking outside, when two off-duty cops engaged him and told him multiple times to drop the seeming weapon. When the man refused to comply, and instead pointed the phony firearm at them, one of the cops opened fire at him.

Police performed life-saving measures on the wounded man, after which EMS transported him to an area hospital, where he died, police said.

Police recovered the imitation firearm at the scene, Eger said, and a photo of it was released to the media.

The commander added that the slain man has “a documented criminal history in New York.”

The investigation is ongoing. Eger said the department’s Force Investigation Division is also investigating the incident.

Friday evening on social media the NYPD urged people to steer clear of the area: “Due to police activity, avoid the vicinity of Hylan Boulevard and Heinz Avenue in Staten Island. Expect emergency vehicles and delays in the surrounding area,” NYPDNews posted on X.

https://www.nydailynews.com/2025/08/15/off-duty-nypd-cop-shoots-critically-wounds-man-staten-island/