A knife-wielding guy was shot and killed by Ohio police officers working at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
In a press conference shared by ABC affiliate WISN 12 News, Milwaukee Police Chief Jeffrey Norman stated that on Tuesday, July 16, at approximately 1:10 p.m. local time, over a dozen officers from the Columbus, Ohio police department were in a briefing in “their assigned zone” a few blocks away from where the RNC was taking place when they witnessed a 43-year-old man “engage in an altercation with another unarmed individual.”
Norman claimed the 43-year-old guy, who was holding a knife in each hand, “refused” to obey the officer’s “commands” to drop the weapons. According to Norman, the man then “charged at the other individual with knives,” prompting five officers to shoot him.
Body camera footage provided by the police and acquired by the Associated Press showed policemen speaking on bikes before one officer noticed the man with the blades and said, “He’s got a knife.”
Several cops can then be heard yelling at the man to “Drop the knife!” as they rush at him, shooting their firearms as the man with the knives moves toward the other person.
“This was a situation in which somebody’s life was in immediate danger,” Norman remarked during the press conference. “These officers, who are not from this area, took it upon themselves to act to save someone’s life today.”
The victim “sustained fatal injuries” from the shooting, and there were “no other reported injuries,” according to police. The knives belonging to the individual were “recovered at the scene.”
Samuel Sharpe, the guy slain in the event, has been recognized by the Associated Press. Hours after the incident, mourners gathered near the scene for a vigil and march. Some neighborhood members have expressed outrage over the heightened police presence due to the RNC.
“They came into our community and shot down our family right here at a public park,” Linda Sharpe, the man’s cousin, told the Associated Press. “What are you doing in our city, shooting people down?”
According to Norman, the event is being investigated by the Milwaukee Police Department’s investigative squad. Several officers from various states are assisting the Milwaukee Police Department in providing security for the region surrounding the RNC meeting.
The US Secret Service also told PEOPLE that the shooting “did not occur within the security perimeters” of the convention and was “unrelated” to it.
Further, the Secret Service stated that it “remains confident” about its “national security plan for the Republican National Convention” since it “has not identified any issues at this point that would warrant changes to the security measures currently in place.”
“As the convention progresses, the U.S. Secret Service will continuously adapt as needed to ensure the highest level of safety and security for convention attendees, volunteers, and the City of Milwaukee,” said the Secret Service in a statement.
In a message on X (previously known as Twitter), Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley said his “heart goes out to the families, the community, and all those affected by the tragic events that occurred” during the incident. He continued by requesting “full accountability and transparency” and “more details about how this situation unfolded that resulted in deadly force and loss of life.”