Willmar officer shot man who charged at him with knife, police say

WILLMAR, Minn. (FOX 9) - A Willmar, Minn. police officer shot a man who reportedly charged at him with a knife during a 911 response Sunday morning, the department reports.

The Willmar Police Department says the officer involved in the shooting responded shortly after 8 a.m. on Sunday to the report of a man who said he had been threatened with a knife on 4th Street SW at Litchfield Avenue SW.

At the scene, while speaking with the victim, police say the suspect charged out of a nearby doorway at the officer, wielding the knife.

"The officer immediately attempted to get away from the suspect, gave repeated commands, and drew his handgun," the department wrote in a news release. "The suspect continued to advance and threaten the officer with the knife. The officer fired his handgun, stopping the assault and the suspect fled. "

The investigation was underway in Willmar on Sunday. (FOX 9)

The suspect was taken into custody "a short distance" from the attack scene, police say. Police gave aid to the man until he was taken by ambulance to Rice Memorial Hospital. From there, he was transported to another facility.

The officer was injured during the incident but treated by medics at the scene.

The Minnesota BCA has now responded to the incident and will investigate the use of force by the officers.

The shooting comes just days after another use-of-force incident last week in Willmar. In that incident, a 75-year-old man died after a Kandiyohi deputy fired a Taser during an eviction.

Similar to Sunday's incident, the BCA said the man had a knife and approached law enforcement officers who had entered his apartment, leading to the deputy firing his Taser.