The mother of the man shot by police in Brooklyn for refusing to drop a box cutter said her son suffers from severe mental illness, and for years she has been worried he would meet an untimely end.

NEW YORK - A man is in critical condition after being shot by police in Brooklyn on Monday afternoon. Authorities say the man was armed with a box cutter and ignored repeated warnings to drop the weapon before advancing toward officers, forcing them to open fire.

A man carrying a box cutter was shot by NYPD detectives after allegedly lunging at them during an alteraction in Brooklyn on Wednesday afternoon. FOX 5's Linda Schmidt is on the scene.

Officers shot a man wielding a box cutter at the corner of Utica Ave. and Avenue K in Flatlands about 1:50 p.m., police said.