The King County Police in Washington, USA, has opened upon the circumstances surrounding the extra-judicial killing of Joseph Ejeh, an IT guru.

A press statement by the Independent Force Investigation Team – King County obtained by News Express claimed that Ejeh, who hailed from Benue State in Nigeria’s Middle Belt, was armed and acted in a threatening manner, hence he had to be gunned down.

Entitled, “Bellevue Police Department Officer-Involved Shooting”, the statement said: “The Independent Force Investigation Team – King County (IFIT-KC) is Investigating, and officer involved shooting for the Bellevue Police Department.

“The investigation into the officer involved shooting from December 5, 2023, is still ongoing. Members of IFIT-KC are interviewing witnesses and collecting video evidence for review. Evidence was collected on the date of the incident and continues to be processed by investigators.”

On the circumstances surrounding Ejeh’s killing, the statement said: “According to the preliminary investigation, the Bellevue Police Department was dispatched to the area of the 15500 Block of Main Street around 6:35 PM on December 5, 2023, for a report of a man walking around with a knife out. Several Bellevue PD officers arrived in the area to contact the subject. Upon arrival at least one Bellevue PD Officer contacted the subject, who was reported to be a 44-year-old male. At some point the male advanced on the officer holding a knife in his hand. The officer then fired his weapon, striking the man. First AID and CPR was administered by the officers on scene and the fire department was called in. Unfortunately, the male was pronounced decease at the scene.

“The Bellevue PD Officer who fired his weapon has been placed on administrative leaving pending this investigation.

“Effective December 6, 2023, Sgt. Eric M. White will be the Public Information Officer for this IFIT-KC investigation.

“Public notifications will be released weekly until the conclusion of the investigation.”

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