Cops Kill Gunman Outside East Village Hookah Lounge, NYPD Says

EAST VILLAGE, NY — Police fatally shot an armed man who killed another man outside an East Village hookah lounge early Thursday morning, according to the NYPD.

Two 9th Precinct officers fired at a gunman they saw shoot another man dead near Avenue A and East Seventh Street about 3:30 a.m., said NYPD Chief of Department Terence Monahan.

The pair had been arguing inside the Hayaty Hookah Lounge, at 103 Avenue A, before they stumbled onto the street and the shooting began, police said.

Two officers patrolling in Tompkins Square Park heard gunshots and ran toward the shooter, Monahan said.

The gunman ignored the officers' commands that he lie on the ground, and they shot at him three times, according to Monahan.

The gunman later died at Bellevue Hospital, and the man he shot was pronounced dead at the scene, according to the NYPD.

Police found two .22-caliber handguns, one underneath the man officers shot and another near the second man.

Both officers were uninjured, the NYPD said, and footage from their body-worn cameras is under review.

"This morning's shooting underscores the courage our cops show every day as they run toward danger," Monahan said. "Thankfully, our cops were not hurt in this incident."