Police shoot man who refused to drop gun in East Harlem

Police shot and killed a suspect carrying a gun in East Harlem early Sunday morning, law enforcement sources said.

The New York Police Department was called to the Washington NYCA homes on the corner of Third Avenue and 104th Street shortly after 12:30 a.m. for reports of a man with a gun, authorities said.

Sources said the suspect, a 62-year-old man, refused to drop the gun despite multiple warnings from responding officers.

That’s when a police officer fired a single bullet at the man, hitting him in the torso and leg, according to sources.

A witness told Loudlabs News NYC that he heard a single gunshot followed by a series of return gunshots, which he attributed to police.

“If he had a gun, if he didn’t have a gun and they thought it was a gun, what’s wrong with Tasers? Why can’t they be used? Why do you always have to reach for the damn gun when you have a Taser?” said the man, who did not give his name.

Emergency medical services performed CPR on the suspect before transporting him to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Witnesses said the suspect was a black man.

A gun was recovered from the scene, police said.