Austin police officer shoots, kills man armed with knife after 24-hour standoff

An Austin, Minnesota, police officer shot and killed a man armed with a knife following a standoff lasting more than 24 hours Thursday night.

According to the Austin Police Department, officers were first notified of a man holding a machete and walking in traffic around 3:45 p.m. Wednesday near the intersection of Seventh Street Northwest and Eighth Avenue Northwest. Officers tried talking with him to get him to comply, but he went into an apartment building, with officers following him inside.

Police said officers tried subduing the man with Tasers, but he "retreated further" into the apartment on the 1200 block of Fourth Avenue Northwest and had threatened to hurt others. Eventually, a crisis response team, including trained negotiators, arrived to manage the situation.

Law enforcement unsuccessfully tried to lure the man out of the building over the next 24-plus hours, using pepper gas and less-lethal rounds in the process.

Around 6 p.m. Wednesday, the Austin Police Department diverted resources away from the standoff and opted to have uniformed officers posted in the neighborhood.

About three hours later, the man left the apartment building and walked to the Kwik Trip four blocks south on Oakland Avenue West. Officers followed him, and in the gas station parking lot, the man "confronted" the officers while armed with a knife. One of the officers then shot him. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension is investigating the police shooting.

The Rochester Mayo Medical Examiner’s Office will identify the man at a later date.