Texas cops shoot black man, 27, dead after he 'charged at them with a knife and a club' - but family insist he has 'mental health issues and was only carrying a walking cane'
A black man was shot dead by two police officers in Texas after he allegedly charged at them with a 'knife and club' - though his family and witnesses have reportedly insisted he was only carrying a walking cane.
Dallas resident Ashton Pinke, 27, was shot by officers in the suburb of Mesquite on Tuesday after the Mesquite Police Department received a 911 hang-up call where a woman was heard screaming and crying in the background, police said in a release.
Cops said in the release that he was holding a 'knife and a club' but witnesses and family members have insisted that he was shot holding a walking stick that he uses daily when he was shot.
Family members who spoke to WFAA at the scene said Pinke was known to police because of a history mental health but said they were 'stunned' by the shooting.
Dallas resident Ashton Pinke, 27, was shot by officers in the suburb of Mesquite on Tuesday
An aerial view shows police responding to the scene where a black man was shot to death in the Dallas suburb of Mesquite
Family members said Pinke was known to police because of a history mental health
Cops said in the release that he was holding a 'knife and a club'
Pinke's uncle, whose name was not provided, told WFAA that 'it's not equal force.'
'A walking stick - he got to run up to you. You're fighting with bullets. That's distance. You're winning. You can't - you can't win against a gun,' the uncle said.
He added: 'Why you can't just tase him? That's the only thing I'm saying? Why you couldn't just tase him?'
Local activists have already started calling for Mesquite Police to release body camera footage for transparency on what happened, which cops said that will be released to the public later this week, WFAA reported.
Officers were dispatched to the Audubon Park Apartments in the 5800 block of Northwest Drive in Mesquite after pinging the phone's address during the hang-up call, police said in the news release.
A victim allegedly told police who responded that Pinke was 'armed with a knife.' When police confronted him, he allegedly 'charged at the officers, armed with a knife and a club,' according to police.
Witnesses and family members have insisted that he was shot holding a walking stick that he uses daily when he was shot. PICTURED: The Audubon Park Apartments in the 5800 block of Northwest Drive in Mesquite
The officers then performed first aid on Pinke until he was taken by ambulance to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Cops said that another ambulance was also requested for an 'assault victim.'
Police did not provide the names for the two veteran officers involved in the shooting: a female cop with 25 years of experience and a male cop with 21 years of experience. Officials said that no officers were injured during the shooting.
Officials said that the two officers have been placed on administrative leave with pay under a departmental policy and investigators with the Dallas County District Attorney's Office responded to the scene.
According to WFAA, Pinke's family has retained civil rights attorney Justin Moore to represent them.
'Unfortunately, the lack of a proper response by the Mesquite Police department ended in Ashton being shot and killed,' the statement reads.
'By all accounts, Ashton was not armed with a gun or deadly weapon to justify the use of lethal force by officers on the scene. My office is committed to investigate any and all civil rights claims for Ashton's family, while demanding full transparency in any and all investigation that will be conducted by law enforcement going forward.'
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