'Dangerous and unpredictable situation': NYPD shoots man dead; finds out later that he had fake gun

An off-duty New York Police Department officer fatally shot a man who was pointing a fake gun at him Friday night on Staten Island, authorities said. The man was holding an imitation gun when he was shot, New York City police confirmed on Saturday at a press conference just after midnight.

The incident occurred Friday night on William Avenue near Hylan Boulevard in the Great Kills neighborhood of Staten Island.

The man, identified as Jesse Campbell, 44, of Staten Island, allegedly had a documented criminal history in New York, as per CBS News.

Around 8.00 pm, a 911 call reported a man with a gun at the rear of a diner, said the assistant chief Melissa Eger of the NYPD Patrol Borough Staten Island during a news conference.

An off-duty police officer then reportedly spotted the same man with what appeared to be a firearm and alerted another off-duty officer.

The officers instructed the man to drop the weapon, but he instead pointed it at them, according to Eger, who added that surveillance footage captured the incident. Police said an officer then fired multiple shots, striking the man several times.

“Our officers were confronted with a dangerous and unpredictable situation, and they attempted to de-escalate the situation multiple times,” Eger said, as per ABC News.

The officers “performed life-saving measures” on the man before he was transported to a hospital where he was pronounced dead, she added.

The shooting is under investigation.