New York Attorney General Letitia James released body-worn camera footage that her office obtained as part of its ongoing investigation into the death of Wei Chan, who died on August 16, 2026 following an encounter with members of the New York City Police Department (NYPD) in Manhattan.
On August 16, NYPD officers went to a building on Ludlow Street in Manhattan following a 911 call reporting an assault. As officers began walking up the staircase, they saw Mr. Chan, who was allegedly holding a cleaver and coming down the staircase toward officers. The officers told Mr. Chan to show his hands and drop the cleaver, but he failed to comply, and officers fired their guns, striking Mr. Chan. Mr. Chan was taken to a hospital where he was pronounced dead. Officers recovered a cleaver at the scene.
The Office of Special Investigation (OSI) of the Attorney General’s Office released footage from body-worn cameras that captured the incident. The release of this footage follows Attorney General James’ directive that camera footage obtained by her office during an OSI investigation be released to the public to increase transparency and strengthen public trust in these matters.
Pursuant to New York State Executive Law Section 70-b, OSI assesses every incident reported to it where a police officer or a peace officer, including a corrections officer, may have caused the death of a person by an act or omission. Under the law, the officer may be on-duty or off-duty, and the decedent may be armed or unarmed. Also, the decedent may or may not be in custody or incarcerated. If OSI’s assessment indicates an officer may have caused the death, OSI proceeds to conduct a full investigation of the incident.
The release of this footage is not an expression of any opinion as to the guilt or innocence of any party in a criminal matter or any opinion as to how or whether any individual may be charged with a crime.
Warning: This video contains content that viewers may find disturbing.
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