Police say that a knife-wielding man
attempted a "suicide by cop" in the offices of a newspaper in upstate Schenectady yesterday—and despite being shot three times, he is expected to survive. “At this point, we’re forced to believe that this was an attempt of suicide by the police. We have spoken with a family member, who indicates to us this subject lately has been expressing suicidal thoughts," said Public Safety Commissioner Wayne Bennett.
A drowsy and "very vacant-looking” Elvis Norwood, 21, entered The Daily Gazette's lobby on Saturday afternoon, and proceeded to wander aimlessly around the main lobby, circulation department and first-floor hallways, ignoring repeated requests to leave from the security guard. The guard called police, as well as the newspaper’s general manager, Daniel Beck, who showed up soon after with his girlfriend, Linda Eldeen.
Eldeen was the first one to notice he was holding a 9-inch steak knife, and had blood on his hand: "I was just going to say to him, 'Come on, get up, let's get out of here.' Then I realized [there] was blood on his hand. Then when I turned my head a little bit, I could actually see the shine of the knife." Cops arrived minutes later; when Norwood lunged at one of the officers, officers fired four shots, hitting him three times in the stomach, neck and arm.
You can see video of the aftermath of the shooting here. Authorities are not yet sure what he will be charged with.
