GREENSBORO, N.C. — UPDATE: Greensboro police have identified the man who died in the shooting as Ernesto Ruiz, 41 Thursday. The North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation is conducting an ongoing criminal investigation.
A person is dead after an officer-involved shooting in Greensboro Friday.
Greensboro police said they received a call in reference to a discharge of a firearm on 3100 block of Creek Ridge Road around 9:40 p.m. Guilford Metro received calls advising that shots were heard as well as fireworks.
Police said one caller said that a person was throwing knives.
When officers arrived they confirmed fireworks were being set off but did not find a person with knives.
Around 9:50 p.m., Greensboro police received a weapons/firearms call on Creek Ridge Road and Randleman Road.
Police found a person with what appeared to be a large knife and a machete around Creek Ridge Road near Rehobeth Church Road.
Officers said they made contact with the person and they began to run east on Creek Ridge Road towards Randleman Road, refusing to adhere to officers' commands.
Officers chased the person for about 1.5 miles down Creek Ridge Road.
During the chase, police tried to stop the person by giving commands and utilizing pepper spray and a taser. All attempts were unsuccessful.
The person continued to run with the knives and reached the BP parking lot on Randleman Road, where customers were also outside.
At the BP, the person stopped, changed direction, and started advancing towards the officers with the knives.
Police said three officers fired their guns, hitting the person.
The officers then began giving aid until other officers and EMS arrived.
The person was taken to the hospital and was pronounced dead by medical personnel on arrival.
One witness says, at the time, he was not sure what was going on.
As soon as he heard the gunshots, he immediately questioned what was happening and where the shots came from.
"You have to be careful man and watch your surroundings, no matter where you're at. No matter who you are or what you are there's crime everywhere and you have to be careful," they said.
Greensboro police requested the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation to respond and conduct a criminal investigation into the shooting, which is standard protocol with critical incidents involving a death.
The Greensboro Police Department's Professional Standards Division will conduct an internal investigation to determine whether Greensboro Police Department policies were followed.
Greensboro police said the three officers involved in the shooting have been placed on administrative duty, as is departmental policy.
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