On December 23, 2023, NYPD officers responded to a domestic incident involving an armed suspect who had barricaded himself inside an apartment with family members. After the suspect’s girlfriend escaped, officers entered and discovered the suspect holding his mother in a chokehold while armed with a knife. As the hostage appeared to be losing consciousness and less-lethal options were not viable, officers were forced to make a split-second decision to stop the threat. The New York Attorney General later determined the officer’s actions were justified, concluding that deadly force was necessary to protect the hostage from imminent death or serious bodily injury.