BURLINGTON, MASS. (WHDH) - A police officer shot a knife-wielding man who had charged at them after calling 911 while experiencing “some mental health issues” in Burlington on Sunday, and the man died of his wounds Monday, officials said.
Burlington police received a 911 call just after noon from a man who said that he was having some mental health issues, according to the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office.
The man, later identified as Paul Courtemanche, 42, allegedly told dispatch that he had a knife and that he was unsure how he would respond when the officers arrived. He remained on the phone throughout the incident.
Two officers responded to his location at an apartment complex and were instructed to wait outside until additional personnel arrived.
While they waited outside near their cruisers, Courtemanche allegedly came out of the building wielding a knife.
The officers asked him to drop the knife but Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan says he did not.
One of the officers fired what officials described as a less-than-lethal weapon at Courtemanche but he kept advancing at them, Ryan said.
“The man, still wielding a knife, was advancing rapidly on the officers,” she said. “At that point, the second officer discharged their firearm.”
Courtemanche was taken to a local hospital with life-threatening injuries and died Monday, the DA’s office said.
One of the officers is said to have sustained minor injuries during the incident.
Both responding officers were transported to an area hospital.
An investigation remains ongoing.
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