WEIRTON, W.Va. - A man killed by police during a domestic dispute in West Virginia was from the Pittsburgh area and apparently was intent on getting shot by officers, a prosecutor said.
The man shot Friday morning in Weirton, West Virginia, was Ronald Williams Jr., of McKees Rocks, a suburb just west of Pittsburgh, Hancock County prosecutor Jim Davis said.
Williams threatened a woman with a knife due to problems in their relationship, then grabbed a gun from his car after she called 911. The woman told investigators that Williams said he intended to get shot by police, something officers responding to the scene didn't know at the time, Davis said Monday.
A younger officer arrived at the scene first and tried to get Williams to drop his gun. Two other more seasoned officers arrived as that was going on, Davis said.
"They arrive, they begin approaching, they hear the other officer tell him 'put it down, put it down' and as they approach he turns with the firearm and points it toward them," Davis said. "They reacted in a defensive manner, and unfortunately he died."
The West Virginia state police and Davis were investigating and will determine whether the shooting was justified.
"It's horrible on both ends, obviously," Davis said. "The family has lost a member, son, brother. It's horrible. And then on the other side of it you have the officers. They don't want to do this."
Authorities have not publicly identified the woman who called 911, but Davis said she had "reported some concerns" the week before the shooting but opted not to have charges filed against Williams at that time.
The Friday morning domestic dispute continued and built upon the couple's earlier troubles, Davis said.
"Incidents had occurred with a knife, initially, threats of killing her, killing himself, and it escalated to the point where she was thrown around a bit and injured during the course of their encounter," he said.