San Marcos police fatally shoot man threatening with knife
San Marcos police said they shot and killed a man last week after he threatened people with knives and then ran away from officers when they confronted him, still brandishing a knife in public.
A news release said that two people called San Marcos police at about 9:30 p.m. Thursday to report that 22-year-old Malachi Williams was following them near East Hopkins and Cheatham streets and that Williams had threatened them with “two large knives.”
Officers found Williams about an hour later in a convenience store, and when they all walked outside, Williams ran across Hopkins Street and then across Thorpe Lane near an occupied business, the release said.
Police then “unsuccessfully” deployed a Taser against Williams, the release states, as he continued “wielding a knife with people in the immediate vicinity.” As Williams continued running toward a business, police fatally shot him, the release said.
Medics took Williams to the Ascension Seton Hays hospital in Kyle, where he was pronounced dead.
Investigations into the shooting will be conducted simultaneously by the San Marcos Police Department Criminal Investigation Division, the department's Office of Professional Conduct and the Texas Rangers.
In response to questions from the AmericanStatesman about various aspects of the shooting, San Marcos city spokesperson Khameyah Taylor said, “The investigation is ongoing at this time and we don't have any additional information to release beyond what was included in the press release.”
In a press release sent Monday naming the person killed as Williams, officials said the San Marcos Police Department would not be available for interviews.
The Statesman attempted to contact members of Williams' family but did not receive a response Tuesday.