TOLEDO, Ohio — Toledo police shot a man early Monday morning in south Toledo after they say he refused to drop a knife.
Officers responded shortly after midnight to reports of gunfire and fireworks at Heathergate Apartments on Heatherdowns Boulevard when they encountered the man, who has not been named by police. According to a Toledo police news release, the man was sitting on the tailgate of his vehicle with fireworks when approached by an officer.
When an officer attempted to remove fireworks from the man's hand, the suspect grabbed a knife from the bed of his truck. Police say the officer gave verbal commands to drop the knife, but the man instead instructed the officer to shoot him.
A backup officer arrived at the scene and deployed his Taser, but according to the release, the man pulled the Taser probes off his body. The backup officer deployed a second Taser cartridge, which was also unsuccessful.
Police say the suspect began walking toward the backup officer, still holding the knife and pulling out Taser probes, when the officer who first responded fired his gun twice, striking the man.
Police then rendered life-saving efforts for the man before he was transported to the hospital, where he is listed in critical condition. According to the release, officers made multiple attempts deescalate the situation.
The officer who fired the shots has not been named and has been placed on administrative leave, per department policy. No officers were injured in the incident.
Toledo police plan to hold a news conference in the "near future" to provide body camera footage and additional details.
This is a developing story.