The police chief in the central Iowa town of Boone says the man who was shot to death by police officers over the weekend threatened them with a knife.
Chief John Wiebold says the officers were sent to the home where 48-year-old Timothy Anderson lived with his girlfriend. She had called 911.
“My boyfriend has gone crazy,” she told the dispatcher. “He’s drunk and he’s beating me and my mom.” She also said he was holding a knife. Wiebold said Anderson charged at the officers as they came to the front door.
“The male immediately ran outside at my officers with the knife and my officers fired their weapons,” Wiebold said. Anderson died at the scene. At a news conference this afternoon, Wiebold showed reporters body camera video from one of the officers. Yelling and screaming can be heard from inside the home as the officers arrived.
The video ends just as Anderson charges out of the front door holding a knife above his head. Wiebold was asked if the officers only option for a response was the use of deadly force.
“In that situation, I think the video speaks for itself,” Wiebold said. Six officers, one-third of the Boone Police force, were at the scene. They’re now on paid administrative leave while the incident is under investigation. Wiebold would not say if all six officers fired their weapons.
“We’re not releasing that information at this time, pending the investigation,” Wiebold said. The officers involved in the shooting were Captain Lonnie Hikiji, Officer Daniel Lynch, Officer Joseph Slight, Officer Connor McCuen, Officer Cole Hilsabeck, and Officer Seth McCrea.
(Jim Turbis, KWBG, Boone contirbuted to this story.)