South Bend police say two officers shot and killed a man early Tuesday at the Karl King Tower apartment high-rise. Police weren’t yet releasing many details Tuesday.
Shortly after midnight Monday, police said they responded to the high-rise on a report of a stabbing victim. When they arrived, they weren’t able to find the victim but they were directed to an apartment where it was reported a stabbing had occurred. There, once they got a search warrant, police say a “armed” person in the apartment “confronted the officers and actively engaged in a deadly force incident with the officers.”
Police did not say what kind of weapon the person was armed with.
Police say two officers fired their guns at the person, hitting them. They were pronounced dead at the hospital.
Following typical protocol with officer-involved shootings, Mishawaka and St. Joseph County police are investigating. Police had not released the victim’s name because they hadn’t yet notified their family. They also didn’t identify the officers.
It’s the South Bend Police Department’s first officer-involved shooting since June of last year, when an officer fatally shot 70-year-old John Neiswender, who was homeless, after he tried to stab officers near the East Race downtown. Prosecutor Ken Cotter ruled that shooting justified.
A Mishawaka police spokesman said police and prosecutors plan to release more information at a press conference within the coming days.
