Beaumont police fatally shot a knife-wielding man while responding to a call about a domestic violence incident, residents said Saturday.
Witnesses called authorities after seeing their neighbor injured on the ground, bleeding and screaming for help, in the 600 block of Michigan Avenue on Friday, witness Raymond Kent told KTLA.
Beaumont police responded to the scene around 6:30 p.m. after receiving a 911 call from an audibly distressed individual, Riverside County sheriff’s Deputy Mike Vasquez said.
At least one police officer opened fire at a man holding two knives at a shared parking area between two homes, officials said. The man was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Kent, who lives in the neighborhood, believes the man is the female victim’s husband. He came out of the house with a “very large kitchen butcher’s knife” when police responded, Kent said.
The man advanced towards the officers, who repeatedly told him to drop his weapon, Kent said. That’s when five to six shots rang out, according to neighbors. They said the woman was taken to the hospital.
The officers involved have been placed on administrative leave, per the Police Department’s policy, authorities said. Their identities, along with the name of the man killed in the shooting, have not been released.
The Sheriff’s Department is investigating the incident.
Anyone with information can call the Riverside County Sheriff Department’s Central Homicide Unit at 951-955-2777.