A man wanted for sexual assault was fatally shot Thursday by police officers in New York after engaging in a two-and-a-half-hour standoff, according to the New York Post.
43-year-old Kent Edwards was killed in an hours-long standoff with cops, the New York Post reported. The confrontation was the culmination of a series of violent acts attributed to the suspect. The standoff began around 11:45 a.m. when police approached his apartment.
When the police arrived, they discovered that Edwards was armed. This prompted the Emergency Services Unit officers to swarm the building in an attempt to diffuse the situation, according to the Post. The suspect allegedly resisted the police, including by using advanced technology such as drones. The police reportedly tried to negotiate a peaceful surrender, but despite these efforts, Edwards countered and demanded several things from the police, including contacting a sister and asking for water and medicine. (RELATED: Freed Sex Offender Busted For Allegedly Abusing More Kids, Authorities Say)
RESULTS OF GOV HOCHUL’S BAIL REFORM AND ROGUE NYS PAROLE BOARD MEMBERS:
Violent sex offender wanted in shooting outside NYC bar killed after firing at cops during hours-long standoff https://t.co/k8LlIwNxa0— Blue Lives Matter 💎 (@RetiredNYCPD) December 15, 2023
The standoff reached its climax when Edwards reportedly fired four shots at the police. One bullet hit an officer’s bulletproof vest, while two others struck shields. The police fired two shots, which fatally wounded Edwards. Despite being rushed to a local hospital, he did not survive.
Edwards was a wanted man since an altercation at a bar, where a dispute over a photo booth led to him to allegedly shoot another man and assault him, the Post reported. Since that incident, Edwards had been evading law enforcement, even as he allegedly continued his criminal activities. Edwards was arrested for rape last February, the Post added.
Edwards previously served a 12-year prison sentence for criminal sale of a controlled substance and attempted rape, and was paroled in 2012.