STUART, Fla. – A man was fatally shot by police after charging at an officer with a knife during a confrontation at an apartment complex, WSVN reported.
The Stuart Police Department responded to a call on March 28 reporting that the suspect was stalking a woman with a knife, according to the report. A clip of surveillance footage released by the department the following day showed an officer getting out of his cruiser before a person could be seen running at him at full speed.
The clip, which has no audio, shows the officer running away from the suspect while firing several shots, striking him.
The suspect was transported to a hospital but later died from his injuries, according to the report. Officer Osinga, a 10-year veteran with the Martin County Police Department, has been placed on administrative leave, which is standard procedure following an officer-involved shooting.
The Martin County Sheriff’s Office is leading the investigation. According to Sheriff John Budensiek, the man had been threatening residents in the apartment complex with a knife for several days, though no one reported the behavior to police until the day of the shooting.
The suspect had a lengthy criminal history in both Florida and California, including prior arrests for kidnapping and other violent felony offenses, according to the report. Many of those charges were ultimately dropped due to the suspect being deemed unfit to stand trial.
