Police shot and killed an armed patient at Chambersburg (Pa.) Hospital last week, and Franklin County District Attorney Matthew Fogal says the officer's use of deadly force was justified under the circumstances, according to The Sentinel.
Two deputies from the Franklin County Sheriff's Office who were at Chambersburg Hospital on the morning of Nov. 3 responded to a "code green," which designates violent behavior. The officers who responded to the incident found a patient, 64-year-old Dennis Kirk, wielding two knives. He had reportedly threatened a nurse with the knives before the officers showed up.
After backup arrived, the officers made several failed attempts to subdue Mr. Kirk with a Taser. Mr. Kirk refused to put the weapons down and continued threatening the officers. When Mr. Kirk came close enough to make contact with an officer's arm, another officer shot Mr. Kirk, who later died of his injuries, according to the report.
Mr. Fogal, the district attorney, said the officer's use of lethal force was needed. "Here the use of deadly force was not only permitted, it was necessary in order to protect another from being stabbed," he said, according to the report. "Certainly, no one delights in taking the life of another, but the actions of all of these law enforcement officers were utterly reasonable, appropriate and correct."
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