According to sources and the NYPD, an off-duty police officer shot and killed a man with a significant mental health history who was armed with a realistic-looking BB gun outside a popular Staten Island diner on Friday night.
According to the NYPD, shots were fired shortly after 8 p.m. at the popular Andrew’s Diner on Hylan Boulevard in Eltingville.
According to sources, diners alerted police that a man with a gun was threatening the restaurant.
The gun-wielding man, identified as Jesse Campbell, 44, then confronted two off-duty NYPD officers outside the diner, pointing the alleged weapon at them, according to sources.
Police have not yet released the man’s name.
During the confrontation, one of the off-duty officers, a female Internal Affairs Bureau detective, fired multiple rounds at the suspect, striking him throughout the body, according to the NYPD and sources.
According to sources, police have video footage of off-duty officers instructing Campbell to drop the gun prior to the fatal shooting.
Campbell was taken to Staten Island University Hospital and pronounced dead, according to sources.
Campbell had “significant” mental health issues, according to sources, and he had allegedly told his mother and sister earlier in the day that he wanted to be killed by police.
“It appears to be suicide by cop,” a police source said.
A hyper-realistic BB gun was discovered at the scene, according to sources and the NYPD.
Photos from the scene show detectives examining a pool of blood in the road near an abandoned black baseball cap.
“We are aware of the incident that occurred on William Avenue in Great Kills earlier this evening,” Staten Island Borough President Vito Fossella said in a statement on Friday night.
“It appears that an off-duty member of the NYPD heroically stepped up to keep the public safe, and we are thankful.”
In a post on X, the NYPD warned of traffic delays and an increase in the number of emergency vehicles.
