4 girls injured in Brooklyn apartment stabbing; suspect shot by police

Four young girls were seriously injured in a stabbing attack inside a Brooklyn home, according to officials. The suspect, believed to be a relative, was shot by police and remains in critical condition.

The incident unfolded shortly after 10:15 a.m. on Sunday when a 911 call was placed by an 11-year-old girl who reported that she and her siblings had been stabbed by their uncle. According to NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch, the child was unable to provide an address, but 911 dispatchers were able to trace the phone’s location to 1671 84th Street in the Bensonhurst neighborhood.

Officers arrived within minutes and were directed into the building by an uninjured boy. Inside a vestibule, they heard screams coming from one of the apartments and forced entry. There, they encountered a man holding a large meat cleaver, covered in blood.

Despite repeated commands to drop the weapon, the suspect advanced toward the officers, prompting two of them to open fire. A total of seven rounds were discharged, striking the suspect and ending the threat. The encounter was recorded on body-worn cameras, Commissioner Tisch said.

Inside the apartment, officers discovered four girls—ages 8, 11, 13, and 16—suffering from multiple stab and slash wounds. Emergency responders provided life-saving care on scene before transporting the children to Maimonides Medical Center. All four are currently expected to survive.

Police identified the suspect as 49-year-old Longqian Chen. He was also treated at the scene and transported to Maimonides Hospital, where he remains in critical condition. Two weapons—a large cleaver and another bloody knife—were recovered from the apartment.

According to Commissioner Tisch, the suspect is believed to be related to the victims, although the exact relationship remains under investigation. Family members told police that Chen has a history of mental illness. There were no prior domestic violence reports associated with the residence.

The children’s mother was reportedly not at home during the attack.

Commissioner Tisch praised the bravery of the children, particularly the 11-year-old girl who hid and called 911 despite her injuries, and the young boy who ran for help. She also commended the officers and EMS personnel whose rapid response likely prevented an even greater tragedy.

Sunday’s incident in Brooklyn follows an unrelated stabbing attack on Thursday in Washington, D.C., where six people were injured near Gallaudet University. In that case, the suspect—believed to have been in a drug-induced, altered mental state—stabbed himself and several others, including a female acquaintance and bystanders who tried to intervene.