A Long Island man wielding two fencing swords was fatally shot by police. Pei-Sze Cheng reports.
What to Know
- A man wearing a fencing mask and holding two swords was shot and killed by officers inside his Long Island home, according to police.
- A woman who lives nearby said police had been called multiple times over the past week or two about a man behaving erratically. Police said they responded to the house three times Tuesday alone.
- By the time officers got inside, they found Alan Weber wearing a fencing mask and carrying two swords. Four minutes later, he had been shot and killed
A man wearing a fencing mask and holding two swords was shot and killed by officers inside his Long Island, New York, home, according to police.
Officers were called to a house on Mander Lane in East Northport around 8:30 p.m. after a neighbor reported a disturbance. A woman who lives nearby said police had been called multiple times over the past week or two about a man behaving erratically. Police said they responded to the house three times Tuesday alone.
By the time officers got inside, they found Alan Weber wearing a fencing mask and carrying two swords. Police said he refused to come outside and was screaming as he broke items in the house.
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"The officers demanded he put the swords down. Our subject refused to so as much, at which time our officers fired the taser striking the subject. The tasers did not have an effect on our subject, and at which time, he charged at our officers. The other officer who was there at the scene pulled out his firearm and shot several times," said Suffolk County Police Commissioner Rodney Harrison.
Weber was taken to Huntington Hospital where he was pronounced dead.
Neighbors said Weber had been seen all afternoon rummaging through mailboxes and knocking on doors. Those who knew the 54-year-old said he suffered from mental illness.
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Suffolk County police said both responding officers had previously received special training to address those with mental health problems. But Tuesday's incident happened very quickly, according to Harrison, who said just four minutes had passed from when officers arrived to the shots being fired.
Harrison defended the officer's actions.
"I was able to review the body worn cameras this morning and at this time I believe it’s a justified shooting," the commissioner said.
Detectives spent much of Wednesday gathering evidence from the house. An investigation is ongoing.
According to neighbors and his social media profiles, Weber was at one point a champion fencer, which could explain the fencing gear at the home. Suffolk County police said the state attorney general's office has been notified regarding the deadly incident.
