Texas police fatally shoot man threatening woman with knife

A Texas police officer fatally shot a knife-wielding man who was holding a woman hostage early on Saturday, the police chief said.

Officers responded to reports of a man threatening to kill himself at an apartment complex courtyard in Denton, about 40 miles northwest of Dallas. They found the man holding the woman by the neck shortly after 1.30am, said Denton Police Chief Frank Dixon.

“The hostage-taker would raise the knife up to the female, almost in a stabbing motion, several times,” as officers tried to talk with the man, Dixon said.

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“At one point, as the knife was being raised, we had one officer fire one round from his patrol rifle striking the subject in his upper torso,” Dixon said.

The woman was rescued uninjured and man fell into a crouch, still holding the knife, then was shot with a stun gun, Dixon said.

The man was taken to a hospital where he died, Dixon said. No names were released, and the police chief said investigators were trying to determine the relationship between the man and the woman.

Dixon said the officer is on paid leave pending an investigation into the shooting by Texas Rangers and an internal investigation into whether department policies were properly followed, Dixon said.

• Americas