Machete-wielding man shot and killed in Montana

Machete-wielding man shot in Montana.

The confrontation was caught on video.

Billings police said he refused to drop his weapon.

In a tense confrontation, a Billings, Montana police officer fatally shot a machete-wielding man on the 300 block of North 31st Street on April 30, 2024.

According to Lieutenant Matt Lennick, the man was waving machete at people in the area.

Police responded to the scene around 1 p.m. and attempted to negotiate with the suspect.

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Machete-wielding man shot by Montana police

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Lt. Lennick reported that the man was not cooperating and refused to drop the machete.

An officer tried to subdue him with a Taser, but it was ineffective.

Consequently, an officer shot the man, Lennick explained.

After the shooting, the suspect was taken to a hospital, where his death was confirmed, according to KRTV.

Billings police defend the shooting

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No officers were injured during the incident.

The identity of the machete-wielding man was not disclosed.

«They attempted to negotiate with that male. There was no progress…» Lennick told KRTV.

«They attempted less lethal, it sounds like, in the form of a Taser, which was not effective,» the Billings Police Lieutenant added.

Witness describes the moment officers shot the man

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«At some point during their altercation with him and trying to take him into custody, one officer fired one of their service weapons and struck the subject,» Lennick continued.

A witness, Bayley Vulgamore, shared with KRTV what she saw from her office.

«Outside my window, I heard yelling and screaming,» said Vulgamore.

Vulgamore said that after the unsuccessful attempt to subdue him with the Taser, it looked like the man was trying to grab the machete.

More details about the shocking incident

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It was then that an officer shot him several times.

Another witness, Kym Van Pelt, described the incident as shocking.

«I don’t think I’ve ever witnessed anything like that and a little kind of like shocking and shaky feeling,» Van Pelt remarked.

The police will provide more details in a press conference on Wednesday.