Garland police fatally shot 37-year-old Michael Antonio Santacruz early Monday after he advanced toward officers while swinging a machete, the department said in a Monday update.
Officers first responded at about 2:15 a.m. to the 3000 block of Broadway Boulevard after a caller reported seeing a man walking near a 24-hour gas station with a machete. Officers searched the area but did not find him.
Police received a second call at about 3:20 a.m. reporting that a man matching the earlier description was armed with a machete at a bus stop near Broadway Boulevard and Colonel Drive. Responding officers found Santacruz holding the weapon.
Police say Santacruz charged officers
Officers spent up to 25 minutes trying to negotiate with Santacruz and de-escalate the encounter, Garland Police Public Information Officer Matt Pesta said during a media briefing.
Santacruz refused repeated commands to drop the machete and began advancing aggressively toward the officers, police said.
Officers backed away while continuing to order him to drop the weapon. They deployed a department-issued less-lethal electrical control device, but police said it did not stop him.
Santacruz continued closing the distance while swinging the machete, prompting multiple officers to fire, police said.
Officers immediately rendered aid after the shooting. Garland Fire Department paramedics, who had staged nearby, transported Santacruz to a local hospital, where doctors pronounced him dead.
No officers or other members of the public suffered injuries, according to police.
Investigators temporarily closed both northbound and southbound lanes of Broadway Boulevard at Colonel Drive while they processed the scene Monday morning.
Three investigations underway
The Garland Police Department’s Criminal Investigations Division is investigating the circumstances surrounding the shooting.
The department’s Professional Standards Unit and the Dallas County District Attorney’s Office Public Integrity Division are conducting separate reviews.
The department placed the officers involved on administrative leave under department policy.
Provided by Dallas Express
