[UPDATED] Police Shoot Armed Man In Prospect Lefferts, Leaving Conflicting Witness Reports

Yesterday, three police officers fired 12 shots at a 31-year-old black man who was reportedly menacing drivers and neighbors in Prospect Lefferts Gardens.

Cops arrived at Lefferts Avenue and Rogers Avenue around 7:15am on Sunday, July 10, and found Paul Mathurin, who appeared to be armed, waving a handgun and verbally threatening people in the middle of the street, the Daily News reports.

According to NYPD Assistant Chief Steven Powers, the 71st precinct officers asked Mathurin to stop and drop his gun. When he didn’t, and continued behaving erratically, three officers fired 12 rounds, the Post reports.

One bullet hit Mathurin in the hip, and he was rushed to Kings County Hospital, where he was reported to be in stable condition. Later, a .9mm Taurus handgun was found at the scene, that reportedly belonged to the suspect.

According to NYPD, cops were first alerted to the scene by ShotSpotter, a system that detects gunshots via sound sensors planted on city streets, and immediately reports their location to police units. (In March 2015, we reported that the 70th precinct was among the first in the NYPD to test this technology.)

In addition to the ShotSpotter, a woman was also calling 911 to report a man waving a gun at the same location, according to police.

One witness, however, disputes the claim the initial shots were fired by Mathurin, the Daily News reports. The witness, who saw the incident from her window, reports seeing Mathurin brandishing a cell phone, not a gun.

Mathurin has a record with more than 16 prior arrests that include drug possession and assault, according to the Post.

The corner of Lefferts Avenue where Maturin was shot has a particularly violent history. It was at that same corner, almost nine years ago to the date, that NYPD Officer Timothy Timoshenko, 23, was shot and killed on patrol —  on July 9, 2007, the Post reports.

[Update on July 12, 9am] On Monday, June 11, suspect Paul Mathurin was arrested and charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance; criminal possession of a weapon; reckless endangerment; and menacing. An NYPD investigation is ongoing.