TACOMA, Wash. – A man who allegedly approached officers with a knife was shot and killed Friday afternoon by Tacoma police officers. But at least one witness says there was no knife.
It happened around 3 p.m. at a bus stop in the 6100 block of Sixth Avenue, a couple blocks from Tacoma Community College.
Tacoma police say the suspect went into a Dollar Tree store and bought a knife. He then went across the street to a bus stop where he allegedly began waving the knife around. People felt threatened and called 911.
Chief Don Ramsdell says when officers arrived, the suspect held the knife in his fist and approached the officers.
"When they encountered the subject, the motion that he gave was above his head and toward the officers," said Ramsdell.
Raphael Dellafuente says he saw the confrontation, but didn't see a knife.
"One of the officers starts screaming 'knife, knife' and then shot him four times," said Dellafuente. "There was no knife involved."
A tweet posted on the Twitter page of Washington Huskies basketball player Isaiah Thomas indicates he saw the shooting.
"Me and @DomWill253 jus seen the cops shoot a homeless dude on 6th ave 4 times," reads the tweet.
The suspect's identity has not been released, but police say he is a 50-year-old homeless man.
Both officers will be placed on paid administrative leave, which is standard when an officer fires a weapon.
Four deadly confrontations
It's the fourth time this week someone has died in a confrontation with police in the Puget Sound area.
On Monday, 50-year-old John T. Williams was shot by a Seattle police officer. Williams was known for carving wood and was carrying his knife when he was shot. The officer claims Williams refused to drop the 3-inch blade as he approached the officer, but some witnesses dispute that account.
The next day, King Ramses Hoover stopped breathing and died after being tased by Pierce County Sheriff's deputies. Investigators say Hoover was unruly.
Later that day, Federal Way Police shot David Young in the head. They say the 23-year-old was driving a stolen truck and led them on a chase.
Then, Friday afternoon, Tacoma Police killed a homeless man.
And Friday evening, officers shot a West Seattle man in a confrontation.
All these cases remain under investigation.
