Samurai sword-wielding man dies in ‘suicide by cop’ in Ontario

A man who was shot to death by police in Ontario after approaching them with a samurai-style sword died in a case of “suicide by cop,” officials said Wednesday.

The man, whose identity was not being released until his next of kin were notified, had called Ontario police before the confrontation Tuesday night and said that “he wanted to die, he had a gun, he was going to shoot,” said Ontario police Sgt. Jeff Higbee.

The man called police just after 10 p.m. and also told them where he was, Higbee said. The man had just been in a fight with his family, added Higbee.

Officers went to the scene and found the man inside his parked truck with the lights off. When the officers pulled behind him in their own car, the man “took off,” Higbee said.

The chase ended about five minutes later at Fern Avenue and Phillips Street, Higbee said. When the man emerged from the car, he was carrying a samurai-type sword, Higbee said.

The man began to walk up to the officers and didn’t obey their commands to stop, Higbee said.

Police first fired non-lethal rubber bullets at him, but “they didn’t’ have any effect,” Higbee said.

“He started going to the officers with the sword and when he got close enough, he got shot,” Higbee said. The man was rushed to a local hospital, where he died.

Two officers were put on paid administrative leave after the shooting, which is standard protocol, Higbee said.

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