CSPD: Man armed with hatchet shot after charging at a police officer

COLLEGE STATION, Texas (KBTX) - A 26-year-old man was shot twice by a College Station police officer Monday morning after he reportedly charged an officer while armed with a hatchet.

Around 5:50 a.m. on Monday, a 911 call came in asking for an ambulance to be sent to a house in the 5100 block of Bellerive Bend Drive. The call was disconnected but the dispatch center was able to reconnect to the caller and learned that a 26-year-old man in the house was experiencing hallucinations and acting violent. A short while later another 911 call from the same home came in and the caller asked for police to come as well.

A single officer arrived on the scene when the man came out front with a hatchet. The officer backed away from the man and told him to drop the hatchet, but the man started charging toward the officer.

“As the male advanced faster, the officer began to retreat, or back up faster, while continually giving commands to drop the hatchet,” CSPD Chief Billy Couch said in a Monday press conference.

Couch said it got to a point where “the officer was forced to engage,” and the officer shot the man twice in the upper torso. The man threw the hatchet and hit the officer in the lower leg.

Paramedics were already at the scene and immediately started treating the man. He was taken to a hospital and police say he’s in critical condition. The officer was also taken to a hospital, they were treated and released.

“We also understand these are difficult situations for our community, and I can assure you that we take our responsibilities seriously as we strive to minimize the impact, as we are forced to have to handle these situations,” Couch said.

No one in the house was harmed, according to police.

The Texas Rangers are taking over the investigation.

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