Officers shot and killed a man with an ax in Stockton on Monday morning, authorities said.
Officers arrived around 7 a.m. near the 2000 block of Nevada Street in south Stockton after reports of a suspicious person armed with an ax. Police later ruled that the person was trying to smash into a home with that weapon, Officer Omer Edhah, a Stockton Police Department spokesperson, said in a news conference.
The man was gone when officers arrived, but follow-up investigation found the suspect, described only as being in his 20s, moving south toward Deep Cliff Way and Spring Hill Drive, Edhah said.
When officers approached the man in the driveway of a home, he picked up the ax and refused to put it down after multiple commands, Edhah said. The man then raised the ax toward officers, who shot him.
Officers administered medical aid until paramedics arrived. The man was transported to an area hospital, where he died, Edhah said.
The man’s name has not been released. Police said he had an “association” with a residence at the second location where he was found.