Local News in Brief : Stanton : Man Threatens Officer With Knives, Is Slain

A 21-year-old man with a history of mental problems was killed by a police officer he threatened with two knifes, police said.

Stanton Police spokesman Angel Andrade said Mark Reeves was shot once by the officer at 10:10 a.m. Thursday. He said the officer, who was not identified, responded to a call at a residence in the 11000 block of Dudley Way.

The officer found Reeves in the back yard holding a butcher knife in each hand, Andrade said. The officer fired once when Reeves refused to drop the weapons and threatened to throw them. Reeves died at the scene.

Reeves, who turned 21 on Christmas Eve, had a long history of mental problems and was diagnosed as schizophrenic, police said.

He was the fifth person killed by a police officer in the county in 1987. The incident will be investigated by the district attorney’s office, a requirement for all officer-involved shootings.