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Mesquite police fatally shot a man Tuesday morning whose relatives say he had a history of mental-health problems.
Police were called about 7:45 a.m. to the Audubon Park apartments in the 5800 block of Northwest Drive, near Oates Drive, after a 911 call during which the dispatcher reported hearing a woman screaming and crying before the caller hung up.
Officers met with an assault victim, who said the attacker was armed with a knife. Police found 27-year-old Ashton Pinke along the side of the building.
Police said Pinke charged at the officers while wielding a knife and a club. Two officers fired their weapons at him, then provided first aid until paramedics arrived.
A shaky 12-second video of the shooting taken by a witness and obtained by KDFW-TV (Channel 4) shows the officers with their guns drawn saying “Don’t do it” before Pinke approaches them from around the corner of a building. One says “Hands up” and then multiple shots can be heard.
Pinke was taken to a hospital and pronounced dead.
Police called an ambulance for the assault victim, whose condition was not released.
The officers who shot at Pinke have been on the force 25 and 21 years, police said. Their names have not been released, and they have been placed on paid administrative leave while authorities investigate the shooting.
Relatives told WFAA-TV (Channel 8) that Pinke, a father of four, had a history of mental-health issues and was known to police. A witness told the station that he was carrying a walking stick that he uses.
Police said footage of the incident from officers’ body-worn cameras would be released this week.
Attorney Justin Moore, who is representing Pinke’s family, said in a written statement that the police department’s response was improper and that his office was determining whether it would pursue a civil-rights lawsuit.
“By all accounts, Ashton was not armed with a gun or deadly weapon to justify the use of lethal force by officers on the scene,” Moore said.
Last month, Dallas police fatally shot a robbery suspect along Interstate 635 who turned out to be brandishing a realistic-looking replica handgun. The family of Edgar Tirado Jr. has told the media that the 28-year-old, who served in the Air Force, had bipolar disorder and had been failed by mental-health treatment facilities.