Pictured are knives that a man was allegedly threatening people with at the Santa Teresa VTA light-rail platform in South San Jose before he was fatally shot by a security officer on Oct. 30, 2019. (Santa Clara Co. Sheriff’s Office)
And this, folks, is exactly why we have security officers. This security officer clearly saved lives with their actions; had the officer not been there, who knows how many people would have been injured or killed. It's a matter of time and proximity -- the security officer was right there, police were not, and they can't be -- their jurisdictions are far too large. It's also interesting to note the security officer gave the armed man every chance to surrender and only shot when the suspect was incredibly close to him. Remember the 21-foot rule, aka the Tueller Drill, where an individual armed with a knife or other weapon can cover 21 feet between himself and a person armed with a gun in 1.5 seconds. -- IFPO
SAN JOSE – A Valley Transportation Authority security officer shot and killed a man who was reportedly threatening people with knives at the Santa Teresa light-rail station Wednesday night, according to the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office.
Deputies were called to the station about 8:40 p.m., by which point a security officer had already “engaged the suspect and shots were fired” on the platform off Santa Teresa Boulevard, Sheriff’s Sgt. Michael Low said.
Sheriff dispatch traffic, archived online and corroborated by investigators, describes a man in his 30s holding “a knife and scissors and threatening people.” The security guard fired at least two shots, a sheriff’s deputy who responded to the scene told dispatchers.
The wounded man was “faintly breathing, somewhat conscious,” before he was rushed to a local hospital, the deputy said. The man later died of gunshot injuries.
Photos released by the Sheriff’s Office show at least two knives and a long cord resembling a bike lock lying on the train platform after the shooting, as well as scissors on the track.
Citing investigators, Low said the suspect was “quickly advancing toward the security officer with all of those items in his hands” before the shots were fired.
“The security officer gave verbal commands for him to drop the items, and the suspect was not obeying those commands,” Low said. “The suspect closed to within 5 to 10 feet when he opened fire.”
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