An Opelika police officer shot and killed a man they said ignored commands to drop a large kitchen knife as he approached his girlfriend and officers, the police department said Monday.
The Opelika Police Department said the shooting happened Saturday night, as officers responded to a domestic dispute. The department on Monday identified the man killed as Alan Perez, 51.
The police department said in a news release that dispatch had received a 911 call on Saturday night and a woman asked for help before the line was disconnected. When officers responded to the home, they found an ongoing domestic dispute between Perez and his girlfriend, police said.
“Perez was armed with a large kitchen knife. Mr. Perez ignored verbal commands from officers to drop the knife and continued advancing towards the female and officers,” police said in the news release.
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An officer then shot Perez, who died at an Opelika hospital, police said.
The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency’s Bureau of Investigations is reviewing the shooting. The police department said “all evidence and videos have been turned over.” Investigators’ findings will be turned over to the local district attorney.
The police department did not release any additional information about the shooting.
