Protests erupted in Lancaster, Pa., overnight after a police officer fatally shot a man who allegedly ran at them with a knife.
More than 100 demonstrators hit the streets Sunday evening, forming a crowd outside the Lancaster police station, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported. Police later deployed tear gas on a crowd of protesters, saying demonstrators had damaged buildings and government vehicles and thrown bottles.
Authorities said an officer responded to a domestic disturbance call shortly after 4 p.m. on Sunday. Body camera footage released by the department indicates the man who was killed, Ricardo Munoz, emerged from his home and charged the officer with a knife. The footage shows the officer firing at Munoz several times.
Lancaster County District Attorney Heather Adams said an investigation into the shooting was ongoing.
“We ask that acts of protest remain peaceful as violence and destruction of property will become headlines and serve no purpose for the safety and wellbeing of our citizens and neighborhoods,” Adams said in a statement.
“This has been a heartbreaking day for our city. I grieve for the loss of life and know that there are more questions to be answered as the investigation continues,” Lancaster Mayor Danene Sorace (D) said in a statement, according to the Post-Gazette.
Isaac Etter, who works with the organization Safe House Lancaster, told a local ABC affiliate that police-community relations in Lancaster had been smoldering for years before the shooting.
“We had a lot of issues in June with the Lancaster City Police and I think to see the lack of change in both the police force and in the city has led to the unrest that is today,” he said.