PHILADELPHIA _ The fatal police shooting of a man who ran toward a Lancaster police officer armed with a knife was justified, the Lancaster County district attorney's office has ruled.
"The officer had no time or opportunity to do anything but run for his life and only resorted to lethal force when he confirmed an imminent threat to his life remained," District Attorney Heather Adams said in a statement.
The Sept. 13 shooting of Ricardo Munoz, 27, happened after Munoz's sister called 911 to report that her brother was being aggressive toward his mother and was trying to break into her house.
The shooting prompted hundreds of protesters to gather outside the Lancaster Bureau of Police headquarters later that evening and into early morning hours to decry the police response.
The bodycam video of the officer who responded showed Munoz coming out of the house, then immediately running toward the officer as the officer ran away. The officer is then seen firing his gun at Munoz several times. Included in the video was a still image of Munoz holding a knife in his hand just before he was shot
"Adams determined that the officer was clearly justified in firing four shots at Munoz, as Munoz chased him with a large knife _ clearly presenting a threat to the officer's life," the statement said.
"Between four and five seconds elapsed from the time Munoz emerged from a doorway, chasing the officer, to when the officer fired shots," it said.
Munoz was pronounced dead at the scene. The District Attorney's Office said it was not releasing the name of the officer because the shooting was justified.
"Anytime an officer uses deadly force it is a traumatic and emotionally charged event in our community, and a life-altering tragedy for the families directly impacted by the use of force," said Adams.
In the hours after the shooting, protesters gathered outside police headquarters. After midnight, police used pepper spray to disperse the crowd, and some protesters were arrested after they threw bricks through the glass doors of the police station and at the front of a nearby post office.
Munoz's relatives and their attorney could not be immediately reached for comment Thursday.
