Anthony Griffin, 44, was fatally shot by police at the 42nd Street-Grand Central station in Midtown Manhattan on Saturday morning after he stabbed three people on a subway platform. The Associated Press reported Griffin died at Bellevue Hospital, while CNN stated he was fatally shot by police and died later from his injuries. The incident occurred around 9:40 a.m. ET, with police responding to an emergency call of an assault.
The man, armed with a machete, was described as behaving erratically and claiming he was "Lucifer" when officers encountered him. Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch reported that officers ordered Griffin to drop his weapon 20 times, but he refused to comply. An officer then shot him twice.
The three stabbing victims were identified by the Associated Press as an 84-year-old man, a 65-year-old man, and a 70-year-old woman. One man sustained "significant lacerations to the head and face," another had similar injuries and an open skull fracture, and the third victim suffered a laceration to the shoulder. All victims were transported to hospitals and are expected to survive, with their injuries not considered life-threatening.
State's Response to Disorder
Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch stated that officers were "confronted with an armed individual who had already injured multiple people and was continuing to pose a threat." She added that officers "gave clear commands" and "attempted to de-escalate," but when the threat persisted, "they took decisive action to stop it and to protect New Yorkers on one of the busiest train platforms in the city." This framing positions the state's armed agents as the sole solution to public disorder.
Governor Kathy Hochul echoed this sentiment on social media, expressing gratitude to "our brave officers who acted quickly to stop the suspect." Hochul also stated that the state was "working closely with the NYPD as the investigation unfolds." These statements reinforce the state's reliance on law enforcement as the primary mechanism for maintaining order in public spaces.
Chief of Transit Joseph Gulotta commented that the attacks appeared to be random acts. This assessment, offered by a state official, provides no further analysis of the conditions that might lead to such an event.
The Cost of "Protection"
The suspect, Anthony Griffin, was known to police and had a history of arrests. The Associated Press noted he had three prior unsealed arrests. CNN reported that he had been arrested numerous times, including for menacing and slashing at people with a sharp object, according to two law enforcement sources. These facts indicate a pattern of interaction between Griffin and the state's enforcement apparatus prior to the fatal encounter.
The violence erupted around 9:50 a.m. ET on a platform beneath Grand Central, a major transit hub for the city's working population. CNN reported that Griffin was on a subway train before the incident, acting erratically, and then moved out onto the platform. The Metropolitan Transit Authority announced that some subway trains were not stopping at the station, causing delays and heavy traffic, and the police department urged travelers to avoid the area. The disruption impacted the movement of countless individuals reliant on public transit.
The state's response, culminating in the use of lethal force against an individual described as "erratic" and with a history of arrests, underscores the established method of managing social contradictions within the existing order. The focus remains on immediate suppression of threats rather than addressing the systemic failures that may contribute to such individual crises.