Four young girls were seriously injured in a brutal meat cleaver attack at a Brooklyn residence on Sunday morning, leading to police shooting the suspect after he refused to drop his weapon.
The incident occurred around 10:15 a.m. in Brooklyn’s Bensonhurst neighborhood when Long Qian Chen, 49, allegedly attacked four girls aged 8, 11, 13, and 16 with a meat cleaver. The attack prompted a heroic response from one of the victims, an 11-year-old girl, who managed to call 911 while hiding in a room.
“This could have ended very differently… She hid in a room to call the police,” said NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch, highlighting the crucial role the young victim’s actions played in the emergency response.
When officers arrived at the 84th Street residence, they heard screams from inside and forcibly entered the apartment. They encountered Chen wielding a blood-stained meat cleaver, who refused multiple commands to drop the weapon.
“Officers ordered the man to drop the weapon several times, but he refused and advanced toward them,” Commissioner Tisch explained. This led to two officers firing seven rounds at Chen, who was subsequently transported to Maimonides Medical Center in critical condition.
The four young victims sustained serious injuries but are expected to survive. Authorities recovered two weapons from the scene – the meat cleaver and another knife found in a room.
Investigators are working to determine the exact relationship between Chen and the victims, while family members have indicated that Chen has a history of mental illness. Police records show no prior calls for service at Chen’s address.
“Right now, we have four children who are still alive because of the quick-thinking and decisive action of your NYPD officers and EMTs,” Commissioner Tisch stated.
The incident bears similarities to a December 2023 stabbing in Queens, where Courtney Gordon, who also had reported mental health issues, killed four family members before being shot by police. However, that case involved an attempt to set a fire, unlike the Brooklyn incident.
The entire police response was captured on officers’ body cameras, and the investigation into the motive behind the attack continues.