Police say the man pointed an imitation handgun after a late-night collision near Bedford Street and Sixth Avenue.
NEW YORK, NY — New York City police fatally shot a 37-year-old man late Thursday after a road rage crash in the West Village, authorities said. Officers approached a BMW that had been involved in a collision just before 10:55 p.m., and the driver exited and aimed what appeared to be a handgun at them, prompting police to open fire, according to officials.
Police identified the driver as Dmitry Zass of Staten Island. The encounter unfolded at Bedford Street and Sixth Avenue and was captured on body-worn cameras, officials said. Investigators later determined the weapon was an imitation Sig Sauer air pistol. The shooting came hours after a separate police-involved fatal shooting at a Brooklyn hospital, placing new attention on how officers respond to fast-moving threats. City leaders said an internal investigation is underway while the department’s Force Investigation Division reviews footage and collects evidence.
According to Assistant Chief James McCarthy, two people from another vehicle flagged down officers after the crash and pointed out a BMW stopped in traffic. “At that moment, a 37-year-old male exited the BMW, drew what appeared to be a firearm and pointed it at the officers,” McCarthy said. Officers shouted commands to drop the weapon. Witnesses described a chaotic scene as police took cover behind open cruiser doors and neighbors looked out their windows. Zass was struck by gunfire and taken by emergency medical crews to Bellevue Hospital, where he was pronounced dead shortly after arrival late Thursday night. The two officers who fired were taken to a hospital for evaluation, officials said.
Police said an imitation handgun, similar in size and color to a tan Sig Sauer pistol, was recovered at the scene. McCarthy said body camera footage shows officers repeatedly telling the man to drop the weapon so they could give aid. “The subject maintained possession of the firearm while officers repeatedly gave commands,” he said. A resident who lives near the intersection said he heard a burst of shots, then several single shots moments later. Another witness said he saw a BMW traveling the wrong way with its bumper dragging before the collision at the corner. Officials did not immediately say how many rounds were fired or how many struck the driver. No bystanders were reported injured.
The West Village shooting occurred in a dense, residential part of Lower Manhattan where narrow streets often bottleneck late at night. Police said the crash and confrontation began as traffic built on Sixth Avenue. The neighborhood’s mix of bars, restaurants and apartments keeps foot traffic high into the overnight hours, and several people on the block reported hearing gunfire shortly before 11 p.m. City records show officers routinely patrol the corridor for traffic violations and reckless driving complaints. Thursday’s incident added to a week of heavy police activity across the city, including the earlier killing of an armed patient at NewYork-Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital after a barricade situation, officials said.
City Hall addressed the late-night shooting Friday. Mayor Zohran Mamdani called the back-to-back incidents “devastating” and said the police department’s internal review would be “thorough and swift.” Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch praised officers for responding to a dangerous situation and said investigators would release further details when appropriate. The department’s Force Investigation Division, which reviews all police shootings, took over the case and was processing body-worn camera footage, dispatch audio, ballistic evidence and witness statements. Officials did not announce the officers’ names or years on the force on Friday, citing investigative protocol and the need to notify their commands.
Detectives are working to map the sequence from the initial collision to the moment officers fired. That includes interviewing the occupants of the other vehicle, canvassing for security video along Bedford Street and Sixth Avenue, and tracing the imitation pistol recovered at the scene. As of Friday evening, police had not released the number of shots fired, the distance between the officers and the driver, or a full timeline of when commands were issued. Investigators said the BMW was stopped in traffic when officers first approached, and they were looking into whether the driver tried to leave the crash site before the confrontation.
The case will follow standard procedures for police-involved shootings in New York City. The Force Investigation Division conducts the initial fact-finding, then forwards its report for departmental and, if warranted, prosecutorial review. Any determination on policy compliance or potential discipline typically follows after forensic testing, video analysis and interviews. If prosecutors open a review, that process can include grand jury consideration of use-of-force decisions. Officials did not set a date for releasing body camera video but said the department aims to publish critical-incident footage after key witness interviews are complete.
Neighbors who woke to sirens Friday morning found Bedford Street cordoned off by crime scene tape and police markers placed along the curb. “I was watching the game and heard what I thought were fireworks, and then the sound kept going,” said a resident who lives near the corner. “By the time I looked out, there were officers everywhere.” A passerby described seeing a minivan pulled behind a damaged BMW and people waving down officers before the confrontation. Others said the tight, angled streets made it difficult for cars to maneuver after the crash. Several residents expressed relief no one else was hurt but said they were shaken by the volume of gunfire in the small intersection.
As of Friday night, police had not announced any additional arrests or charges related to the collision that led to the standoff. The street reopened after investigators finished documenting the scene and towing the BMW. The department said it would provide an update when more details are confirmed and when any footage is scheduled for release.
Author note: Last updated January 9, 2026.