Ax-wielding man in kilt shot dead by police after standoff in downtown Richmond, Va.
RICHMOND, Va. – Authorities say police fatally shot a man carrying an ax and a long knife in Virginia's capital city.
Richmond Police Chief Alfred Durham told reporters that authorities received calls Tuesday morning about a man walking through the downtown with weapons and making threats.
Durham said officers encountered the man around 10 a.m. and tried to get him to drop his weapons. They deployed a Taser, but he still wouldn't drop them.
Witness Carter Lowery told CBS affiliate WTVR that the man was wearing a kilt, carrying an ax in one hand and a knife in the other.
Lowery said he watched the suspect smash a window on a police car and sprint at police after the Taser was deployed. The police chief said his officers then shot the man, who was pronounced dead at a hospital.
"They get out of their cars, 'Sir, you need to put the weapon down!'" Lowery recounted. "They open their doors and they're behind the doors like clearly something is about to happen."
Durham said one officer was hit with what appears to be friendly fire, but his body armor prevented serious injury.
