Woman Shot by NYPD After Disarming Attacking Brother, Family Says
The incident occurred after officers responded to a domestic disturbance where the brother had allegedly stabbed multiple family members.
A Queens woman was shot by NYPD officers after she had disarmed her brother, who was allegedly attacking family members with a knife, according to her family.
The woman, identified as 38-year-old Shanequa Donovan, called 911 after her brother, Rashaun Donovan, 48, reportedly began assaulting relatives inside their home on 149th Street in Jamaica on Friday night. Her boyfriend, Edward Grant, stated that Donovan had "snapped" and was wielding two knives.
When officers arrived around 9:45 p.m., Donovan allegedly dropped her keys from a window to grant them access to the home. Grant said that Donovan had managed to take one of the knives from her brother and was holding it when officers entered a cramped attic bedroom where Donovan and Grant were attempting to subdue Rashaun Donovan.
According to NYPD Chief of Patrol Phil Rivera, officers ordered everyone to put their hands up. Rivera stated that Donovan "did not comply and moved in the direction of the officers with a knife in her hand." He added that she was within several feet of the officers when one discharged his firearm, striking her. Another officer deployed a taser. Rivera noted that officers did not have reason to believe Donovan was responsible for the initial stabbing.
Donovan was shot three times and received life-saving measures from officers before being transported to Jacobi Medical Center, where she is in stable condition. The brother, Rashaun Donovan, was taken into custody and is facing charges.
Three other family members who sustained stab wounds were taken to area hospitals in stable condition. One was treated at Jamaica Hospital, and two others at North Shore University Hospital.
Grant described the night's events as starting normally before Rashaun Donovan "snapped." He recounted hearing a scuffle and finding his girlfriend's brother in the living room with two knives, with the lights off. Shanequa Donovan then pepper-sprayed her brother when he broke into the attic bedroom where she and Grant were.
Karon Davis, 23, a nephew of the alleged attacker who was also present, said the incident "happened out of nowhere." Davis reported being stabbed in the shoulder when Rashaun Donovan first entered his room.
Authorities stated that the shooting was captured on body-worn cameras and is under review by the NYPD’s Force Investigation Division. Rivera indicated that the responding officers did not have a description of the perpetrator when they arrived on the scene.