Oh boy....I hate to see stories like this...

[garysanfran]

I'd like to see more details of this. A person with a knife in his own home could just be left alone and confined.

I had a knife last night while enjoying my dinner. We need more details. The story didn't say he was charging anyone. Who called the police and why...

Who, what, where, when and why is missing so far in this story.

[garysanfran]

21' rule.

Who came within 21'?

If the guy with a knife was in his own home and the police approached, did the police violate the 21' rule or did the guy with the knife, who probably never left his own domain?

[ITD]

Yes, I said sounds justified, but definitely not enough information. If it was just a guy sitting in a house holding a knife, then the police probably had no business there. But the fact that someone called it in probably means he wasn't alone and someone felt threatened. A knife is just as deadly as a gun, and I think what APS was getting at is that a determined person can close a 20 foot gap and stab you before you can get your gun drawn. Even with your gun drawn, a determined knife wielder can still get you.

Tazers aren't any where near 100% effective. Generally if there is enough cause to deploy a tazer, then there is usually enough cause to fire a gun. Hopefully there is some video of this event. Loss of life is always sad.

Calling the police on someone should be a last resort, especially for someone having a mental episode. That said, people shouldn't be wielding knives, especially around police.

[ApS]

Originally Posted by garysanfran

21' rule. Who came within 21'? If the guy with a knife was in his own home and the police approached, did the police violate the 21' rule or did the guy with the knife, who probably never left his own domain?

Police Tasers can reach out to a maximum of 20'. Police know both of these "rules". That a firearm had to be used indicates some escalation was involved.

One might hit a paywall, but this periodical gets facts correct--periodically:

https://www.nytimes.com/article/police-tasers.html

[jeffk]

The police do not randomly go to people's houses. They are summoned for a problem. In this case, someone else in the home likely felt threatened.

The police likely do NOT know all the details of what they are going into.

Almost no one in their right mind greets the police armed with a knife. That is an immediate escalation of the threat; to the officers and to anyone else in the home. The officers are FIRST concerned with their own and other non combatants safety. The armed person's safety is secondary.

It is easy to do post action, armchair quarterbacking of coulda, shoulda but, in the moment, there was a active threat and probably need for instant reaction against that threat. Most of us are NEVER in a situation like that. Training kicks in and you respond as taught. Officers are taught to use deadly force as a response when threatened with deadly force.

There will be a formal review and we should wait for the details. The reasons and results might not be as WE, personally, may wish but if it meets approved policing practices, it is justified. Then, if enough of us don't like the outcome there might be a review of policing practices, which are usually well thought out.

[Mr. V]

Originally Posted by jeffk

[B]Almost no one in their right mind greets the police armed with a knife.

What if the knife wielder had gotten into "the holiday spirits" and was thoroughly drunk?

Folks who are "blotto" arguably are not in their "right mind" but cops usually seem to treat them as if they are in this type of situation.