Authorities ID ax-carrying man fatally shot by police

SAN JOSE >> Authorities have identified a 27-year-old man shot and killed by San Jose police during a confrontation at a power plant last week where he was carrying an ax and was reportedly armed with several other weapons.

Thompson Nguyen, a San Jose resident, died Jan. 9 at the Metcalf Energy Center after apparently climbing a fence and wandering the grounds of the facility, spurring a call to police made around 5 p.m.

Officers Adam Hutson and Timothy Faye were among the officers who responded to the worried sightings of Nguyen by power plant employees and security. The officers arrived to find Nguyen’s black Mercedes-Benz unoccupied with a large sword in the driver’s seat, police said. They went through the gate and found a man armed with a 6-foot-long pipe and an ax.

Police said the man ignored an officer’s commands to drop the weapons and walked away. The officers followed and repeatedly told him drop the ax and pipe, but he again refused and reportedly yelled “shoot me, kill me” several times, police said.

The man then turned around and advanced toward the officers. One officer shot him when he was 5 to 6 feet away and the other opened fire when the man continued toward him, police said.

Nguyen died at the scene. A search revealed he was also carrying a halfdozen throwing knives, pepper spray and a second ax, police said. No other injuries were reported.

It remains unclear what Nguyen’s motive or intent was for traveling to the power plant. Police and court records show he had a criminal history that included resisting arrest and drug and weapons violations. In September, he was admitted to a hospital for a 72-hour psychiatric evaluation, and shortly before the shooting, he was wanted in Santa Cruz County for allegedly brandishing a sword.

Hutson and Faye were placed on paid administrative leave, and the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office and the San Jose Police Department launched a joint investigation, which is routine after an officer-involved shooting in the county.