Police: Knife-wielding suspect shot by officer in Tracy
TRACY — A suspect armed with a knife was shot by police officers in a Tracy neighborhood, authorities said Friday afternoon.
The Tracy Police Department said it happened shortly after 1:45 p.m. in the area of Foxtail Way and Mosswood Court. Officers were called to the area for a report of a man chasing another man with a knife.
"I had never seen nothing (sic) like that before," said witness James Cummings.
Neighbors described a chaotic scene leading up to the officer-involved shooting.
"One of the victims comes running into my garage saying he's running from his brother, his cousin or somebody, but it was a relative," Cummings said.
Cummings called 911 and pointed out the suspect to arriving officers.
"About five minutes later, I heard two gunshots," he said.
When the suspect, later identified as a 17-year-old boy, failed to obey the responding officers' commands and approached an officer, the officer opened fire, police said.
"The officer had very clear commands in an effort to get the person to drop the knife, and they failed to do so," said Lt. Mario Ysit with the Tracy Police Department.
The teen was taken to an area hospital. He was said to be in serious condition but was stable and is expected to survive.
Witnesses say the suspect was armed with a middle-eastern style curved knife.
"The gentleman definitely had a knife in his hand," Cummings said. "I saw it."
No officers were hurt. The officer who fired his weapon was equipped with a body camera, and investigators say that the video is now being reviewed by detectives and internal affairs.
"We are joined by people from the San Joaquin County District Attorney's Office so that we can have a clear and transparent investigation into this incident," Lt. Ysit said.
Neighbors say the suspect and victims are new to the neighborhood
"They just moved in sometime around Christmas," Cummings said.
And people who live in this quiet residential neighborhood are now glad the suspect is no longer a threat.
"It was a little unnerving," Cummings said.
