A 23-year-old man was fatally shot Thursday after stabbing a Colorado police officer in the head during a mental health call in Aurora, officials said.
Members of the department’s Crisis Response Team—a unit that pairs officers with mental health clinicians—also responded to the scene. Officials said the team initially reached the man by phone before losing contact and then attempted to speak with him through a window.
Aurora Police Chief Todd Chamberlain said during a news briefing Thursday that officers witnessed the man holding a "very large butcher knife" to his neck while allegedly making threats to kill himself and others, including police officers.
Roughly 15 minutes after officers arrived on scene, Chamberlain said the man burst out of the front door and charged the K-9 handler "full-speed head-on," stabbing him in the head multiple times.
The K9 was also injured during the attack, and other responding officers were unable to subdue the suspect with tasers and a 40mm launcher with foam projectiles, the police chief said. The K-9 handler ultimately managed to fire multiple shots during the struggle, striking the man.
The suspect and K-9 handler—whose identities have not yet been released—were transported to a local hospital, where the 23-year-old later died from his injuries. The officer, who has been with the force since 2002, and his K-9 are expected to survive.
"I thank God—and I am serious about that—that our officer is not dead," Chamberlain told reporters. "I thank God that our officer is in surgery, and I am so thankful that he survived this."
Chamberlain said the department would release video of the attack with the public at a later date. The investigation into the officer-involved shooting remains ongoing, and the Aurora Police Department is also conducting its own administrative review of the incident.
A reward of up to $2,000 may be offered for information about the case. Tips can be submitted via the Metro Denver Crime Stoppers at 720-913-7867.