A man has died after he was shot by police in Burlington, Massachusetts, when he came at them with a knife on Sunday, according to the Middlesex District Attorney's Office.
The shooting occurred at the Lord Baron Apartments complex on Baron Park Lane shortly after noon.
Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan said the incident began when Burlington police received a 911 call from 42-year-old Paul Courtemanche, who said he was experiencing "mental health issues" and had a knife.
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Responding officers were told to wait outside for the arrival of supervisors and fire and ambulance personnel, Ryan said. The first two responding officers were waiting outside their cruisers when Courtemanche came out the front door of the apartment building wielding a knife and rapidly advancing toward the officers, she said.
The officers told Courtemanche to drop the knife, but he ignored them, Ryan said, leading one of the officers to discharge a non-lethal projectile at him, without success. The man continued to advance rapidly on the officers, and the second officer then shot him with his firearm.
First aid was rendered to the man on scene and he was taken to a local hospital where he died, the district attorney said.
She said one officer sustained minor injuries when he fell and hit his head, and both officers were taken to an area hospital and have since been released.
Courtemanche remained on the line with the dispatcher throughout the entire incident, and Ryan said the recording will be used as part of the investigation.
He had reportedly lived at the apartment complex since July of 2021 and was not known to local police.
The investigation is ongoing.
