knife-weilding maniac
© The Lancaster County District Attorney's Office
Police released the body cam footage of a police officer fatally shooting a man in Lancaster, Pennsylvania Sunday afternoon. Protesters gathered in the hours after the shooting, following the death of the man, who was 27 years old.

The video is available later in this post or here. Be forewarned that it is extremely graphic. It shows an officer shooting a man, who later died. The man was identified as Ricardo Munoz.

An officer from the Lancaster Bureau of Police was responding to a domestic violence call in the 300 block of Laurel Street at about 4:15 p.m. when the shooting occurred. The shooting is under investigation by the Lancaster District Attorney, who said the man ran at an officer while holding a knife above his head.

Here's what you need to know:

Lancaster Police: Body Cam Footage Shows a Man With a Knife Over His Head

Lancaster City Police released the body cam footage of an officer-involved shooting that occurred when an officer was responding to a domestic violence call.


The video is above, and it is also available here, police said in a statement. The officer, who has not been identified, went to a home in the 300 block of Laurel Street at about 4:15 p.m. when a man, later identified as 27-year-old Ricardo Munoz, rushed out the door and appeared to be wielding a large knife over his head. The officer appeared to run away, then fired shots at Munoz. Munoz died at the scene.

The entire encounter lasted only seconds. It is under investigation by the Lancaster District Attorney, Heather Adams, to determine whether deadly force was justified. The officer has been placed on leave. Both the district attorney investigation and the officer's placement on leave are standard protocol after a use-of-deadly-force incident in Pennsylvania. The Lancaster County Detectives are also investigating.

Police said a woman called 911 because her brother was acting aggressively toward her mother and he was trying to break into her house.

"The footage shows that when the officer gets in front of a residence in the 300 block of Laurel Street, Munoz immediately emerges from inside and runs toward the officer, brandishing a knife above his head, in clear view, in a threatening manner," the statement said. "The officer then fired."

Police reiterated in the statement that the officer-involved shooting remains under investigation, and said they intend to release all findings once the investigation is completed.

Lancaster Bureau of Police held a brief press conference on the officer-involved shooting, releasing preliminary details and asking to public to remain peaceful.

The District Attorney also released a statement on the shooting.

"A police-involved shooting has significant impact on a community, as we are seeing with the large number of individuals gathering in the streets," Adams said. "However, I am asking that all reaction be tempered as the investigation is ongoing. We will do our best to release details about the incident in a timely manner."

Police asked that protests be conducted peacefully.

"We ask that acts of protest remain peaceful as violence and destruction of property will become headlines and serve no purpose for the safety and wellbeing of our citizens and neighborhoods," the statement said.

Protesters Gathered in Lancaster in Wake of the Deadly Police Shooting


Protesters gathered in Lancaster in the hours after the shooting Sunday and several people were arrested, according to Lancaster Online. The newspaper reported windows at the police station and post office were damaged, and a dumpster was on fire.

Lancaster Bureau of Police said in a statement a group of more than 100 protesters gathered near the police station and locked arms in a line.


The statement continued:
A public address system was used to provide several warnings that if the group did not move from the ramp that chemical munitions would be deployed. The group failed to follow the instructions and chemical agents were used to disperse the crowd. Members of the crowd damaged a county vehicle parked in the front of the police station. Bricks were thrown through the front of the police station and into the post office window. People on the ramp, W. Chestnut St. and the park adjacent to the station threw water bottles, glass bottles, rocks, bricks, gallon jugs of liquids and parts of plastic road barricades at Officers. OC spray was also deployed at protestors that refused to move from the ramp and were physically challenging Officers that were moving to clear people from the ramp. As of time of this release, protestors are still gathered outside the station and have thrown traffic barricades, large planters and trash receptacles across the ramp. Protestors have also damaged a County of Lancaster vehicle parked on W. Chestnut St.

Lancaster Online reported protests were continuing into the early morning hours of Monday.