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Video: Kan. officer shoots man armed with knives

Officer opened fire after man wielding dual knives took a fighting stance and yelled, “you’re gonna shoot me, you’re gonna shoot me”

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Video: Kan. man shot after threatening cop with knives

By Kelton Brooks
The Hutchinson News

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The Hutchinson Police Department has released the dashboard video and dispatcher audio of the Monday afternoon shooting where an officer shot a man in the shoulder.

In a statement read by Chief Dick Heitschmidt Tuesday, he said, “in an effort to inform the public of the actions of Sgt. (Josh) Radloff, we are releasing the in-car video from officer Radloff’s patrol car along with the recordings of the 911 call and radio traffic.”

Justin Matthews, 29, who was shot in the shoulder by Radloff after he approached the officer brandishing two kitchen knives, was released from St. Francis Hospital in Wichita 1:30 p.m. Tuesday.

Based on information received by the Kansas Bureau of Investigation, the Reno County Attorney’s Office then charged Matthews with aggravated assault, criminal threat and aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer. Matthews was transported to the Reno County Jail and is held on a $100,000 bond.

Radloff will remain on administrative leave until the KBI completes its investigation, Heitschmidt said.

The chief spoke with Radloff Tuesday morning to check on his well being, but not about the investigation, he said, and added Radloff is “doing fine.”

“The officer was being faced with deadly force, so he responded with deadly force,” Heitschmidt said.

In the video, Matthews walks off the porch of a home at 300 E. 10th Ave., wielding two knives in a fighting stance as Radloff approaches, yelling “you’re gonna shoot me, you’re gonna shoot me.”

Radloff fired two shots, one hitting Matthews in his right shoulder, before he fell to the ground groaning in pain.

The residence belonged to Matthews’ mother, Debbie Matthews, who dialed 911 after her son began to threaten her. The mother remained calm through the first few minutes on the phone with a dispatcher as Matthews was shouting “give me the (expletive) keys” repeatedly and said he has a gun.

“Where they at, where they at, where they at,” Matthews could be heard screaming in the audio, referring to police. Matthews also kept saying he was going to charge police when they arrived.

Loud, banging noises were heard in the background of the phone call and the mother said it was Matthews banging on the walls with knives and breaking out a window in the home.

“He’s going to slit my throat,” the mother told the dispatcher as she yelled and cried in fear. The mother told the dispatcher that Matthews laid hands on her and told her, “you’re dead.”

Towards the end of the phone call, the exchange between Radloff and Matthews was heard in the background where Radloff instructed Matthews to drop his weapon repeatedly before he fired two shots.

“Shots fired, suspect down,” Radloff said on his radio. On the radio audio of the incident, another officer was en route with bean bag rounds before shots were fired.

Heitschmidt said the reason of Matthews’ actions that led to the shooting won’t be released until KBI has completed its investigation.

Heitschmidt expects a verbal report of the investigation from the KBI by the end of the week.

Copyright 2014 The Hutchinson News

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