By Police1 Staff
LUFKIN, Texas – Video captured an officer firing four shots at a man who was stabbing another man.
According to the Lufkin Daily News, body camera footage of the deadly officer-involved shooting was released after a grand jury concluded the use of force was justified.
Officer Blake Witherspoon responded to reports of a stabbing in progress March 1. When he arrived, 40-year-old Epthen Johnson was on top of another man, stabbing him repeatedly.
https://www.facebook.com/lufkinpolicedepartment/videos/1568102639868110/
Johnson ignored commands to show his hands and continued to stab the victim. Witherspoon, recognizing the signs of PCP intoxication, determined a TASER would not be effective against the suspect and fired three shots.
After Johnson continued to make stabbing motions, a fourth shot was fired, which ended the assault.
Johnson died as a result of his injuries. A toxicology report later found PCP and marijuana in his system.