Lower Paxton Police car.

By Jillian Pikora From Daily Voice

A man was shot and killed after charging at a Lower Paxton Township police officer with a large knife following a domestic stabbing that left a woman severely wounded, Dauphin County District Attorney Fran Chardo announced on Saturday, Nov. 1.

The incident began around 1:41 p.m. when Lower Paxton Township police were dispatched to the 4000 block of Fawn Drive for a reported stabbing, according to a release from the department.

Officers arrived within one minute and found an adult woman suffering from stab wounds to her face and abdomen. She was transported to a local hospital for emergency surgery due to the severity of her injuries, police said.

Officers quickly obtained a description of the suspect, who fled the scene on foot. A short time later, police encountered the man in the 4200 block of Valley Road, armed with a large knife, authorities said.

The responding officer issued multiple verbal commands for the suspect to drop the weapon, but the man refused to comply and rapidly advanced toward the officer, raising the knife over his head in an aggressive manner, according to the release.

Fearing for his life, the officer fired his duty weapon, striking the man and killing him at the scene, police said.

In a statement to Daily Voice at 8 p.m., District Attorney Chardo confirmed that his office is formally reviewing the use of force:

“It involved the police response to a stabbing of an adult female by the decedent,” Chardo said. “He was walking away from that crime scene with the knife when police arrived. On Valley Road, video shows that he charged at a uniformed police officer with a knife despite repeated orders to drop the knife. The video shows the officer firing a short distance before the decedent reached him with the large knife.”

Chardo added that the stabbing victim remains hospitalized, and “we hope that she recovers from her knife wounds.”

The Dauphin County District Attorney’s Office, Dauphin County Coroner’s Office, and the Capital Region Forensic Unit remained on scene into the evening. Valley Road was closed between Ridgeview Road and Colonial Road during the investigation.

The initial stabbing has been ruled a domestic violence incident, and police emphasized there is no ongoing threat to the public.

Editor's Note: This article has been updated following an email from DA Chardo and a press release by the Lower Paxton Township police.