OWASSO, Okla. (AP) — An Oklahoma prosecutor says police officers in a Tulsa suburb were justified when they fatally shot a man who authorities say threatened them with an AK-47 assault rifle.
Authorities say 39-year-old Duane Preciado was shot and killed March 21 in Owasso. Preciado carried the rifle as he met Owasso Officers Casey Lawson and Laura Lehner while they responded to requests for a welfare check. Authorities said Preciado was shot as he moved toward the officers while making threatening comments.
Matthew Ballard, district attorney for Craig, Mayes and Rogers counties, says in a report that Preciado was a "depressed veteran" who yelled "Kill me!" before the officers shot him three times.
Ballard says officers tried to defuse the situation but "were compelled by Mr. Preciado's actions to respond with deadly force."