Man dies after Temple police shoot him during standoff involving mechanical pencils mistaken for weapon

TEMPLE, Texas — Two Temple police officers fatally shot a man Thursday night after a confrontation in which the man threatened to kill them while holding what officers believed was a knife.

The incident began around 9:51 p.m. when a Temple Police officer spotted what they described as a "suspicious person" walking on private property near the 1200 block of W Avenue G. When the officer and a second officer on the scene, approached and asked the man to stop, he fled down an alley toward 25th Street.

The officers pursued the man, following him onto the roadway and toward the nearby railroad tracks, where he would die minutes later.

Timeline of Events

According to Temple PD, the timeline of the incident is as follows:

After pursuing the suspect toward the railroad tacks, at 9:51 p.m. one