Battle rapper Fox 5 has been identified as the man who lost his life at Grand Central Terminal on Saturday morning after a violent confrontation with NYPD officers.

The 44-year-old attacked three elderly commuters with a machete on the subway platform at 9:50 a.m., slashing an 85-year-old man across the head, a 65-year-old man on his head, and a 70-year-old woman in the shoulder.

He was calling himself “Lucifer” and behaving erratically when transit police arrived on scene.

Two NYPD detectives working overtime for transit security ordered Fox 5 to drop the weapon at least 20 times, but he refused every command.

According to the NY Post, Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said officers “attempted to deescalate” and offered assistance, telling him “We are going to get you help.” Instead, Fox 5 advanced toward the officers with the blade extended, forcing one detective to discharge his firearm twice, striking the rapper and ending the threat.

Mickey Factz, a respected rap veteran, confirmed on social media that Fox 5 was a Bronx rapper who struggled with mental health issues.

Factz’s acknowledgment brought attention to the tragedy, highlighting how mental illness can lead to devastating outcomes. Fox 5 had prior arrests, including one for menacing with a sharp object, suggesting a pattern of crisis that went unaddressed.

The three victims were transported to local hospitals in stable condition, and Fox 5 was taken to Bellevue Hospital where he was pronounced dead shortly after arrival.

The two officers involved were treated for tinnitus from the gunshots.

Mayor Zohran Mamdani, a former rapper himself, released a statement thanking the NYPD for their quick response and for preventing additional violence.

The NYPD announced it would release body-worn camera footage from the incident, as it does in all officer-involved shootings.