A man armed with a machete slashed three elderly people at New York City's Grand Central Station on Saturday morning before being fatally shot by police officers who said he ignored repeated demands to drop the weapon and declared himself to be Lucifer. The suspect, identified by police as 44-year-old Anthony Griffin, was pronounced dead at Bellevue Hospital after being shot twice by a transit officer.

According to NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch, Griffin entered the subway system in the Queens borough before boarding the 7 train to Grand Central-42nd Street station in Midtown Manhattan, where the attack unfolded around 9:40am local time. His first victim, an 84-year-old man, was slashed on the head on the 7 train platform. Griffin then moved upstairs to the platform serving the 4, 5, and 6 subway lines, where he slashed a 65-year-old man — fracturing his skull — and cut a 70-year-old woman across the shoulder. All three victims were hospitalised in stable condition with injuries not believed to be life-threatening.

Two transit officers were flagged down by a witness and approached Griffin, who was described as behaving erratically. Tisch said officers issued at least 20 verbal commands to drop the machete and attempted to de-escalate the situation, telling Griffin they would get him help. When he advanced towards them with the weapon extended, one officer discharged his firearm twice. Emergency medical aid was administered at the scene, but Griffin was pronounced dead at hospital. Authorities said they found no connection to terrorism, and noted that while Griffin had three prior arrests, he had no recorded history of emotionally disturbed person incidents with the NYPD.

Mayor Zohran Mamdani praised officers for their swift response and confirmed that body-worn camera footage of the incident would be released, as is standard procedure following any police firearm discharge. New York Governor Kathy Hochul described the attack as a "senseless act of violence" against innocent people.

The incident raises renewed questions about safety in New York's vast transit network, which serves millions of daily commuters and tourists. Grand Central Station alone draws an average of 750,000 visitors per day, making it one of the most heavily trafficked public spaces in the United States. Multiple subway lines bypassed the station following the attack while investigators worked the scene. The NYPD said the investigation into Griffin's identity and motive remains ongoing.