Dallas police fatally shot a man wielding a box cutter who charged at officers during a mental health call Sunday evening, authorities said. The incident unfolded when the man allegedly attempted to grab an officer’s weapon after initially barricading himself in an apartment.
Officers responded to the 5100 block of Lemmon Avenue just after 7:30 p.m. following reports of a suicidal individual threatening self-harm with a weapon, according to a department statement. When police arrived, the situation quickly escalated.
The man initially opened his apartment door holding a box cutter before immediately slamming it shut in the officers’ faces. Police overheard him shouting, “Put the taser away. I don’t want to f***ing stab myself. I want to get shot,” and yelling at someone else inside the unit, saying, “This is your fault.”
Confrontation Turns Deadly
What happened next turned the mental health call into the city’s third officer-involved shooting this year. The suspect reopened the door and “aggressively charged at officers” while reaching for an officer’s service weapon, authorities said. Police fired at the man, striking him in the upper torso.
The man, whose identity hasn’t been released pending notification of next of kin, was pronounced dead at the scene. No officers were injured during the confrontation.
Following standard department protocol, the two officers involved have been placed on administrative leave while the investigation continues. The Dallas Police Special Investigations Unit is now handling the case — a routine procedure for all officer-involved shootings.
Mental health calls have become increasingly challenging for police departments nationwide, raising questions about response protocols and training. Sunday’s incident marks the third time Dallas officers have discharged their weapons in the line of duty in 2026, officials confirmed.
The department has not yet released body camera footage of the incident, though such evidence typically becomes central to investigations of police shootings in the weeks following such events.
