An unidentified police officer was forced to open fire at a man who refused to drop his weapon (a knife) at a scene where police was summoned with reports of a street fight involving two men.
The incident took place on a quiet residential street near Berryessa Road, San Jose. Police were present at the scene because they had received reports around 3:20 p.m. about a street fight taking place between two men, one of whom was armed with a knife. After being requested several times to put down the weapon, the man refused and started moving toward a female officer with a knife in hand. San Jose police spokesman Officer Albert Morales addressed the press explaining the shooting. The suspect is in hospital and is under treatment.
"They tried to go in and defuse the situation, but the individual with the knife refused to put it down," The Mercury News quoted San Jose police spokesman Officer Albert Morales as saying in a statement. "He was going to try to pull out a less-lethal weapon. Unfortunately, the situation progressed rapidly and the female officer had no other choice but to fire at the suspect."
The identity of the female police officer remains anonymous. Police have taken the second involved man into custody and the authorities have found no indication of his involvement in any crime. Morales has further ruled out the possibility of the case being gang-related and investigations have revealed that both men, in their 30s, knew each other.
This case is the first shooting involving San Jose police this year. Several cases have occurred in the past. In 2013, San Jose police were involved in 6 shootings, with three fatalities, four in 2012 with one fatality, and eight in 2011 with four fatalities.
Prior to the latest officer-involved shooting for San Jose police, a man was shot to death by officers after a triple stabbing, carjacking and a dangerous attempt to flee chasing police officers, Mercury News reports.
