A Florida cop shot and killed a homeless man who was holding a knife to the neck of an Army veteran in a wheelchair Wednesday night.
The officer commanded the suspect to drop the knife but the man refused, “forcing the officer to make the split-second decision to use deadly force,” the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office said.
The fatal shot occurred before any other officers arrived on scene.
The veteran, who is also homeless, received a minor injury to his nose.
Deputies don’t know what the dead man’s dispute with the veteran was.
The officer had a body cam, and the department is investigating the incident, which occurred on a sidewalk just outside Jacksonville’s downtown, near an on-ramp to Interstate 95.
The veteran told Action News Jax that he had met the suspect this week “and he seemed like a nice, quiet man” until he started “acting belligerent” Wednesday night and suddenly charged him with the knife.
The veteran told the TV station that he heard the cop yell “Drop the knife!”
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