NY AG Investigates Fatal Shooting After Man Stabs LI Police Officer

NEW YORK — The New York Attorney General’s Office has opened an investigation into the death of Taiquell Woodson, 33, who was fatally shot Saturday after stabbing a Suffolk County Police Department in Bay Shore.

At 9:10 a.m. Feb. 17, officers responded to a domestic violence call from a resident on Udall Road in Bay Shore, police said.

According to the AG's office, "when the officers arrived, Mr. Woodson opened the front door holding a knife and a baton and allegedly slashed one of the officers with the knife. A second officer attempted to use his taser to subdue Mr. Woodson, and a third officer fired his service weapon. Mr. Woodson was taken to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The officers were treated at a local hospital and have since been discharged. Officers recovered a knife at the scene."

At a news conference Saturday afternoon, Suffolk County Police Acting Commissioner Robert Waring said Woodson's wife called police because she was concerned he was acting violently.

When the officers arrived, two of them approached the front door, Waring said. When one of the officers opened the screen door, Waring said Woodson charged at the officer with a knife. The officer fell to the ground and Woodson jumped on top of him, stabbing him multiple times in the arm and attempting to stab him in the chest, Waring said.

Woodson’s wife and 1-year-old child were not injured, officials said.

A trauma center physician at Stony Brook University Hospital said the wounded officer had wounds to his hands, both forearms and his face. He was wearing a bulletproof vest and suffered no injuries to his chest.

He was "clearly attempting to kill him," Waring said.

At the news conference, Suffolk PBA President Lou Civello called Woodson a "violent career felon" who was "intent on killing a police officer today." Waring did not elaborate on the 33-year-old's criminal record but said he was arrested after a robbery in Riverhead last year.

Pursuant to New York State Executive Law Section 70-b, OSI assesses every incident reported to it where a police officer or a peace officer, including a corrections officer, may have caused the death of a person by an act or omission. Under the law, the officer may be on-duty or off-duty, and the decedent may be armed or unarmed. Also, the decedent may or may not be in custody or incarcerated. If OSI’s assessment indicates an officer may have caused the death, OSI proceeds to conduct a full investigation of the incident.