A man wanted by the police for connection to three murders was fatally shot on Friday inside a Brooklyn apartment. The NYPD’s Warrant Squad were attempting to apprehend Vilmond Jean-Baptiste who had an open bench warrant when the incident occurred at around 5:20 p.m., according to reports from the police.
Upon entering a first-floor apartment on East 21st Street near Dorchester Road in Flatbush, investigators discovered Jean-Baptiste hiding in a bathtub with a knife in his possession, NYPD Chief of Department Jeffrey Maddrey told reporters during a press conference. Police ordered the man to drop the blade and exit the tub, but he refused their commands.
The officers then attempted to use a taser on Jean-Baptiste, however, he lunged at them instead, prompting three police officers to fire their weapons, according to Maddrey’s account of the event.
Following the shooting, Jean-Baptiste was taken to a nearby hospital where he succumbed to his injuries. During the removal of Jean-Baptiste from the building, one officer sustained a head wound after being hit with a bottle. The injured officer was subsequently treated at a local hospital, as stated by Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny.
Authorities had considered Vilmond Jean-Baptiste to be a “strong person of interest” in connection with three murder cases. He was wanted for the stabbing deaths of a 24-year-old man and a 68-year-old woman, whose decomposing bodies were found inside a Brooklyn apartment back in July.
The victims were discovered with multiple stab wounds. A knife was recovered from the scene, located on Ditmas Avenue, where both individuals resided together with the female victim’s son. Jean-Baptiste is also believed to be connected to another murder case – the fatal stabbing of a 66-year-old woman inside her Flatlands, Brooklyn apartment. The incident took place on August 20th.
According to police reports, Jean-Baptiste is thought to have had romantic relationships with both female victims before their murders. He would move in with the women after starting a relationship and then use narcotics within their homes, according to Kenny.
Prior to these incidents, Jean-Baptiste had one previous arrest record for reckless endangerment from 2015. He also had an outstanding bench warrant issued for his arrest in Kings County back in 2022.
