Wanted man wielding knife shot dead by police in Bendemeer
SINGAPORE — A man wielding a knife was shot dead by police during a confrontation at a Bendemeer Road HDB block near Boon Keng on Wednesday (23 March).
The Singapore Police Force (SPF) said in a statement that the man, 64, was walking around in the vicinity of Block 33 Bendemeer Road "shouting and armed with a knife" at 4.07pm.
The man, who came out of a unit, had refused to drop the weapon after police officers arrived at the scene and warned him multiple times to do so.
He advanced towards them, still armed with the knife, prompting officers to fire three taser shots at him.
While the officers retreated to create distance between the man and them, the man continued to advance towards them.
"As there was imminent threat to the safety of the officers, one of the officers fired a shot from his pistol at the man, and the man fell to the ground," the police said, adding that he had been shot in the chest.
Officers then performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) on the man, who was unconscious when taken to hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 5.13pm.
The man was a known drug offender who was wanted by the Central Narcotics Bureau, said the police, adding that drug apparatus had been found in his unit.
He also had a pending investigation for alleged offences of rash act and voluntarily causing hurt to deter a public servant from his duty.
"He had allegedly thrown items out of his window, and when officers engaged him, had used a chair to injure an officer," said the police.
Police investigations into the incident are ongoing.
Preliminary investigations revealed that the man had been walking up and down the block while holding on to his knife. According to the police, he had walked towards a student in uniform, but the student managed to walk away.
The police also addressed the recent spate of violence involving individuals endangering the safety of the public while armed with dangerous weapons.
"We face dangerous situations in the course of our work and will take decisive action, where necessary, including using necessary force, to subdue persons who pose a danger to the public or to our officers," said Commander of Central Police Division, Deputy Assistant Commissioner of Police Jeremy Ang.
The last time a police officer shot a man was last month when 49-year-old Soo Cheow Wee charged at a police officer with a knife outside Clementi Neighbourhood Police Centre.
He suffered a gunshot wound on his left arm, and was taken conscious to the hospital in stable condition. Soo was later charged in court and remanded for psychiatric observation.
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