By Joe Anuta
An Astoria man is in critical condition after police shot him in the stomach last week, when the NYPD said he refused to drop two box cutters and attempts to subdue the man with a Taser and pepper spray failed.
At about 1:49 a.m. Aug. 10, police responded to a report of a man assaulting a woman and her two children at 27-24 21st St. in Astoria, the NYPD said.
Cops arrived at the apartment complex and approached 42-year-old Edward Hall in the entrance of the building where he lives. Hall was holding a box cutter in each hand, the NYPD said, and officers subsequently backed up away from the vestibule.
The officers then called for backup and ordered the suspect to drop the weapons, according to the NYPD.
When the man allegedly did not comply, officers shot him with a Taser and discharged pepper spray, which failed to subdue the man, police said.
The man, cutters still in hand, then allegedly approached police, the NYPD said.
One officer fired a single round into the torso of the suspect.
EMS responded to the scene and the suspect was taken to Elmhurst Hospital Center, according to cops.
He was initially listed in stable condition, according to police, but as of Tuesday afternoon he was listed in critical condition and was being kept in the intensive care unit, hospital staff said.
Hall was charged with attempted assault on a police officer, menacing and endangering the welfare of a child.
The children involved in the incident were 9 and 12-years-old.
Neighbors in Hall’s building said they had no knowledge of the incident.
So far in 2011, there have been 200 felony assaults in the 114th Precinct, up 26 from the same time last year.
Reach reporter Joe Anuta at januta@cnglocal.com or by phone at 718-260-4566.
