OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Five Oklahoma City police officers opened fire on a knife-wielding man, killing him, after he repeatedly refused officers’ commands to drop the weapon, police said Monday.
Officers were responding to a separate domestic assault call Sunday night when they encountered Samuel Lanham, 50, carrying a large knife, according to a narrative of the incident released by police.
Lanham repeatedly ignored officers’ commands to drop the weapon, and non-lethal devices including stun guns and bean-bag shotgun rounds were ineffective, police said.
All five officers fired their weapons, striking Lanham, after he began advancing toward one of them, police said. Lanham was transported to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
All five officers have been placed on administrative leave. Three of the officers, Daniel Reedy, Moises Avelar and Austin Meredith, have less than one year of service. Two others, Bradley Pemberton and Nathan Ross, have two years of service.