ROCHESTER, N.Y. — A man is dead after being shot by Rochester police. The department says the man was threatening officers with a knife.

Police say officers responded to the Open Door Mission on West Main Street around 2:55 a.m. Wednesday for a report of a man with a large knife. 

According to police, the man took the knife from the Mission kitchen and left on foot shortly before officers arrived and made contact with him. They say they called for an officer with a Taser or beanbag gun right before the man began cutting himself and threatening to kill the officers.

"While the officers were on the scene, they gave this person several more than several commands to drop a knife that he was carrying this person made threatening statements to kill the officers, or the officers would have to kill him," said Interim RPD Chief Cynthia Herriott-Sullivan.

The chief says the officer involved in the shooting and another that was on scene retreated back some 400 feet, as the man reportedly continued toward them with the knife. 

“At that point, the person ran towards the officers," Herriott-Sullivan said. "At this point the officer fired at least once from their service weapons strike in the mail in the upper body.”

He was taken by ambulance to Strong Memorial Hospital, where he died about an hour later. His identity has not yet been released.

The officer who used his service weapon in this incident has been placed on administrative leave.   

Captain Mark Mura of the RPD says the incident happened too quickly for officers to contact the Forensic Intervention Team.

"The entire incident unfolded in a matter of 5 to 6 minutes. There was no time to make any other calls other than what was made," said Mura.

Spectrum News spoke with a resident named Jeff from the Open Door Mission who says he witnessed the incident. He says the man got the knife from the kitchen. Jeff says there is a gate that normally secures the kitchen from the area where residents stay but the man was able to get past it. Jeff believes the knives should have been locked up because many people who stay there suffer from mental health issues.

"I heard the shots, but they did tell him many times to put the knife down. I tried to get the guy to put the knife down but he shouldn't have been able to get to the knives. If he was not able to get to those knives this would not have happened," said Jeff.

The Open Door Mission released this statement in response to the incident:

“Our hearts are heavy at the Open Door Mission regarding the incident that occurred early this morning involving the death of one of our guests. We are praying for our guest, their loved ones, and the Rochester Police Department officers involved in this incident. As this is an ongoing police investigation, we can have no further comment at this time.”

Malik Evans, who is a member of Rochester City Council and a candidate for mayor, also released a statement:

“The role the mental health unit played in this incident, particularly the Person in Crisis Team, should also be addressed as the information of this tragedy is released to the public. The public deserves a full and honest account of this incident.”

"We do not yet have a name to release," said Herriott-Sullivan. "I'm not going to draw a conclusion at this point. We're conducting an internal and criminal investigation and also, the attorney general's office is reviewing this incident if they have jurisdiction. There was a point during the investigation when officers called for our beanbag gun and taser deployment. This incident occuring over several minutes which was not enough time for those resources to arrive. Per our protocol, the officer involved in the incident has been placed on administrative leave."

Mayor Lovely Warren has seen the body camera footage, saying she's not sure what could've been done differently to change the outcome.

"Let them do their review," said Mayor Warren. "Let the AG's office do their review and I trust that as they go through this process, they're going to look at policy and procedures. Because if you look at the video, your heart is not going to allow you, you're watching someone get shot and die. It's never going to be okay. It's never going to be okay."

The Monroe County District Attorney’s Office says there is currently a conversation about investigative jurisdiction between its office, the Rochester Police Department, and the New York State Attorney General. Spectrum News is told that decision could take up to a week to determine.

Police Accountability Board Chair Shani Wilson released a statement on Wednesday:

“This morning, the Police Accountability Board learned of media reports that a Rochester Police Department officer shot and killed a man at the Open Door Mission,” said Chair Shani Wilson. “I asked RPD to provide the PAB with all relevant body-worn camera footage of this incident. I also asked RPD to immediately release that footage to the public. I have not received a response to either of my requests.”

“The PAB cannot comment on what we have not seen. However, this latest incident may raise the same questions our community has been asking for months about officer training, RPD culture, and the Person in Crisis Team. The PAB is searching for answers to these pressing questions through our open investigation into the policies, practices, procedures, and training involved in the Harris Street and Portland Avenue pepperspraying incidents. This latest incident spotlights the need for immediate attention to our repeated, unfulfilled requests for information. The community deserves a full and transparent review of all these incidents.”

The Rochester Police Locust Club released the following statement Wednesday on the incident:

A sudden loss of life should only be seen for what it ultimately is, a tragedy. We ask the community to recognize the challenging place that our members found themselves in. Despite their best efforts in a very difficult and dangerous encounter, a life was lost. We ask the public to keep all involved in their thoughts and prayers. We also ask that patience and judgment be reserved while the investigation into this incident goes forward.”

The New York Civil Liberties Union also commented on the incident, saying in part:

"No one experiencing homelessness and mental health crises should have their life taken by police. This individual needed social services and permanent housing, not to be fatally shot. Police are simply not equipped to deescalate, and instead bring further tragedy to the experience of vulnerable residents, not safety and security."