By Police1 Staff
STOW, Ohio — A man was fatally shot by an officer after he refused orders and lunged at the officer.
A resident called police Sunday to report a man knocking on doors, hopping fences and asking for cigarettes, the Beacon Journal reported. Officer Robert Molody and another officer responded and found William Porubsky, 30, wandering around a neighborhood. They said he seemed “out of it.”
Porubsky said he was staying with a friend, but didn’t want to go there. He accepted a ride from Molody to Haven of Rest instead.
When they arrived, Porubsky refused to exit the patrol car and became aggressive. Body camera footage shows Porubsky arguing that the building wasn’t Haven of Rest, and it wasn’t open. Molody said the shelter was open 24-hours.
Porubsky continued to resist as Molody called for backup. After the suspect requested to be driven to another location, Molody stated he wasn’t a taxi driver and Porubsky responded “You’re dressed up like one. I should kick your ass and take your f*****g car, dude.”
Molody drew his TASER, but Porubsky refused to sit on the curb several times. He attempted to grab the locked front door handle of the officer’s patrol car and then lunged at Molody in an attempt to grab his TASER. The TASER was deployed and Porubsky lunged at Molody again. In the struggle, the weapon and Molody’s body camera were knocked away.
The fight continued, then two shots were fired.
Porubsky was struck twice in his torso, the publication reported. He was transported to the hospital where he later died. Molody was treated for minor injuries and released from the hospital. He is on paid administrative leave pending an investigation.