Man Allegedly Swings Sword at Officers, Gets Shot Dead

A man allegedly armed with a sword and swinging it toward officers was shot dead by Detroit police Thursday.

The Daily Mail reports that the man allegedly ignored an officer’s commands to drop the sword and even went so far as to swing it while allegedly walking toward the officer.

The man also allegedly had an 8-inch dagger, which he threw at an officer as well.

Detroit Police Chief James Craig said,  “At some point, I’m not sure if it was before or after (the Taser was used), the suspect took out a second sharp object … an 8-inch dagger; threw it in the direction of the officer, striking the officer below the right eye.”

After the dagger was thrown, the officer’s partner shot the suspect, fatally wounding him.

Craig said a taser was used before resorting to lethal force, but the taser was ineffective because the man had shielded his torso with “something like what a hockey player would wear.”

The deceased suspect was in his 20s.

The blade used appears to be a modern reconstruction of a one-handed arming sword, a common medieval-era weapon often associated with the Crusades.