A Kent Police officer shot and killed a man armed with a machete in an early Thursday morning incident at a home in the 1700 block of South 234th Street in Des Moines.
Des Moines Police responded to a disturbance call at about 12:30 a.m. about a man armed with a knife and reports of screaming and yelling, said Sgt. Doug Jenkins, of the Des Moines Police, in a phone interview.
Des Moines officers asked for assistance so police from Kent and Tukwila also responded. About six or seven officers were outside the home, Jenkins said.
“The individual was armed with a machete and had a hostage inside,” Jenkins said. “The suspect was going in and out of the house. He would come out and yell at officers. He would not comply with commands to put the machete down.”
Jenkins said officers had concerns about the person in the home and at that time of their response didn’t know how many people might be in the home. It turned out one man was inside the home.
“When the suspect came out again, something happened and the officer discharged his firearm,” Jenkins said. “We do not know at this time what he did, but the officer felt threatened in some way.”
The man died at the scene. Jenkins said he did not know how many shots were fired. It is unknown at this time the age of the man or the connection between the man with the machete and the man inside the home, Jenkins said. He also didn’t know who lived at the home.
“It’s a house in a quiet residential neighborhood,” Jenkins said.
The King County Medical Examiner’s Office is expected to identify the man later this week.
The Valley Investigative Team, which includes detectives from several South King County agencies, has taken over the case from the Des Moines and Kent police because of the officer-involved shooting.
Kent Police declined to release the name, age or how many years the officer has been with the force.
“The officer has been placed on administrative leave, a routine procedure for officers involved in critical incidents,” said Kent Police spokesman Jarod Kasner.
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