Lakewood man killed after calling 911 then charging officers with knife, investigators say



LAKEWOOD, Wash. -- Three officers opened fire on a man at a Lakewood apartment complex Sunday morning after he called 911, then later charged at them with a knife, according to investigators.

A press release Sunday said the 43-year-old man called dispatch and reported a stranger in the house, describing a black man wearing a white shirt and blue jeans.

As officers neared the scene, at the Terrace Apartments, the caller said the unknown person was now at the front door.

When they arrived, officers said a person at the front door charged at them, and three officers fired shots just after 3:30 a.m.

The man died at the scene.

An initial police investigation indicates the person killed was the same person who called 911 - apparently having described himself to dispatchers.

Police said it was not immediately clear why the man called them, nor why he charged at them with a knife.

The Pierce County Prosecuting Attorney's Office and the Cooperative Cities Crime Response Unit remains on the scene.

The three officers involved have been placed on paid leave, pending the outcome of the investigation.