Yesterday morning, police shot 30-year-old David Baril—the suspect who allegedly attacked several people around Manhattan with a hammer earlier this week—after he threatened officers in Midtown Manhattan. Baril is currently in critical but stable condition at Bellevue Hospital. He's been charged with seven counts of Felony Assault and Criminal Possession of a Weapon.
At a press conference Wednesday afternoon, cops said that Baril, who is a Bronx native, suffered from paranoia and schizophrenia (which was worsened when he wasn't taking his meds), and had been staying at a mental health facility in upper Manhattan before he checked himself out recently. They believed he has been living on the streets since then.
His social media presence—in particular his Instagram account—included disturbing drawings of bloody hammers and knives, demon vampires, and snippets of graphic poetry. There are videos of him skateboarding around Brooklyn; he refers to himself in one comment as "the most dangerous man alive."
Neighbors at the apartment building where Baril grew up told DNAInfo they weren't shocked when they found out what Baril had done:“We knew he was a ticking time bomb,” said Donald Feldman. He added that Baril had "engaged in bizarre behaviors that sometimes intimidated other residents, including standing for hours in the lobby with his forehead against the wall and punching the door of his apartment."
Another neighbor, retired NYPD Officer Fred Fata, told the Post that Baril is a "menace to society...I feel better that he’s off the street because he would have eventually killed somebody," he said.
Baril had a history of eight arrests, 11 summonses, and 13 warrants. That included an incident in which he tried to attack a cop on Roosevelt Island armed with a "pointed object." He was also arrested for assault on March 21st after he allegedly punched a worker at a Kentucky Fried Chicken in the Bronx.
Things escalated at the start of this week when Baril allegedly attacked four people with a hammer in separate incidents in and around Union Square and Herald Square.
Baril was wearing a mask and hood when uniformed officers Geraldo Casaigne and Lauren O'Rourke spotted him at the corner of 37th Street and 8th Avenue just after 10 a.m. on Wednesday. When the officers approached him, he took out his hammer and made a motion to swing at O'Rourke. Casaigne discharged his weapon four times, striking the suspect twice, once in the right arm and once in the torso. You can see surveillance video of the incident below.
05-13-15 MTS Hammer Suspectby Gothamist
The Post says they spoke to Baril’s mom, who told them she’s upset by the shooting. "This is terrible," she said. "I think it’s very bad that they did this."
