Dozens of bystanders grabbed their cellphones and hit the record button as a knife-wielding man skipped backward through Times Square on Aug. 11. Some witnesses, holding their cellphones above their heads to capture the action, ran alongside police officers as they pursued the man down Seventh Avenue with guns drawn.
The dramatic scene, which unfolded on a sunny afternoon at the crossroads of one of the world's busiest tourist destinations, ended as two officers confronted the man, Darrius H. Kennedy, 51, and fatally shot him when, the police say, he lunged at them.
Minutes after the shooting, video of the episode, which included audio of hammerlike gun shots, shouts of officers ordering the crowd to "move back," and cursing from stunned spectators, was all over the Internet. Several witnesses posted their video on YouTube or Facebook and provided it to television stations. Viewers were riveted.
The video also caught the attention of law enforcement officials.
Read the full New York Times story.
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