A police officer fatally shot a 32-year-old man early Sunday morning after the man allegedly attacked officers while they were responding to a disturbance.
A police officer fatally shot a 32-year-old man early Sunday morning after the man allegedly attacked officers while they were responding to a disturbance at a Santa Cruz home.
The incident began around 3:30 a.m., when officers responded to a home in the 200 block of Chace Street, after a resident said a man was “pounding” at his front door, according to police.
While officers were on their way to the home, the resident again called 911 a second time, saying the man was now at the home’s backdoor, yelling he was wanted to kill everyone inside, police said.
When officers arrived at the home, they located the suspect in the home’s backyard. When they tried to take him into custody, the man attacked officers with a metal bow rake, according to police.
As the suspect attacked the officers, he refused to put down the rake. Officers then deployed a Taser to subdue the man however the Taser was ineffective, police said.
The suspect continued to attack and an officer fired his handgun at the man, according to police.
Officers then rendered aid to the man as emergency crews arrived. The suspect however was pronounced dead at the scene, police said. The identity of the man has not been released.
Because of the officer-involved shooting, the county’s Critical Incident Protocol was enacted, with the cooperation of the Santa Cruz Police Department, The Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office and the Santa Cruz County District Attorney’s Office, according to police.
Per protocol, the decision was made that the District Attorney’s Office will be the lead investigative agency. The protocol aims to ensure that the investigation remains independent, police said.
The police department will also conduct a separate administrative investigation. Per policy, the involved officers will be placed on administrative leave during the investigation, according to police.
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