A police officer on Long Island responding to a report of a “suspicious person lying on the back seat of a vehicle” fatally shot the man after a struggle, authorities said Friday.
Suffolk County police said they were investigating the shooting around 10:45 p.m. Thursday on a residential street in Manorville, about 50 miles east of New York City.
An officer called to investigate the 911 report about the suspicious person "engaged him, and a struggle ensued. The officer fired his gun, striking the man,” the police said in a statement.
A knife was recovered from the unidentified man, who was pronounced dead at the scene, police said. Police said the man had at least one minor arrest in his past, and was believed to be living in the car the officer found him in.
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The officer was treated at a hospital for unspecified injuries, and later released.
The department is investigating the shooting along with the state attorney general’s Office of Special Investigation, which is charged under state law with looking into deaths at the hands of police. Detectives were said to be speaking with those who live in the area to get more information about the man's activities.
