DeSoto police said an officer shot and killed a man wielding a knife in each hand who "approached officers aggressively" Friday.
DeSoto police issued a news release Friday about the incident that is now being investigated by several agencies.
Police said in the statement that DeSoto police dispatch received a 911 hang-up from a residence in the 1000 block of Hunter's Creek Drive just after 10:30 a.m. Friday. A caller, who identified himself as Arthur Lee Armstrong, Jr. answered when dispatchers re-established contact and according to police told the dispatcher he had several weapons and wanted to harm police.
DeSoto police said officers went to the home after a second caller confirmed Armstrong was at the home with other residents and was armed with a knife.
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When officers arrived, DeSoto police said officers encountered Armstrong, 26, in the front yard armed with a knife in each hand.
According to the statement released, Armstrong immediately approached officers aggressively and did not respond to multiple commands to stop and drop the weapons. DeSoto police said when Armstrong continued toward officers, one officer fired a single round from a patrol rifle hitting Armstrong in the chest.
Officers disarmed Armstrong, began life-saving measures, and took him to Central Methodist Hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival, according to the police statement.
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The DeSoto Police Department said it requested officers from the Major Crimes Unit of the Grand Prairie Police Department's Investigative Services Bureau respond to the scene and head up the investigation of the incident. The department said the Dallas County District Attorney's Office Public Integrity Unit was also contacted to conduct an independent investigation.
The officer who fatally shot Armstrong was placed on paid administrative leave, per DeSoto Police Department policy, during the investigations into the incident.
The DeSoto Police Department held a news conference Monday morning to provide more information.
During the news conference, DeSoto's Chief of Police Joseph Costa said the DeSoto Police Department was aware of Armstrong prior to the fatal shooting because they had dealt with him under similar circumstances.
Armstrong's godfather also spoke during the press conference, saying "What I can say for the family is that we are having a hard time understanding. And let's be clear about something, this was a mental health issue. This was a mental health crisis that was going on."
"The DeSoto Police Department has encountered Mr. Armstrong on at least two other occasions and successfully helped him and even got him to Parkland, and we are having a hard time understanding why this outcome had to be," Armstrong's godfather said. "One of the biggest things that the mother, Ms. Sherman Armstrong, has a hard time understanding is why the level of force, why an AR-15 military-style weapon was used in this instance. We are reasonable people and we want reasonable explanations, but at this point, with the information we have, we cannot understand why this ended this way knowing that there have been other people in similar circumstances with similar weapons who walked away."
DeSoto Mayor Pro Tem Letitia Hughes extended her condolences to Armstrong's family and loved ones, calling the shooting a "tragic and serious incident." She said the investigation into the incident is ongoing, and expressed her commitment to being "transparent and accountable to the public as the facts emerge."
