Lawrence police shoot man armed with knife after being called for mental health crisis

(WXIN/WTTV) — An investigation into a mental health crisis led to at least one Lawrence police officer shooting a man who was reportedly armed with a knife inside a group home.

Lawrence police crews were called just after 1:15 p.m. Wednesday to the 7300 block of Red Rock Road for a person experiencing a mental health crisis. Then, just after 1:30 p.m., EMS crews were called to the same area for a shooting.

Friends and family of the man shot spoke on scene with FOX59/CBS4 and said he was experiencing a mental health crisis. The residence reportedly serves as a group home, and police believe one of the men living inside assaulted a caretaker before they were called.

Officials said officers showed up and went inside the home trying to de-escalate the situation, but were met with the man allegedly charging at them with a knife. At least one officer fired shots, striking the armed man.

The man was reportedly taken to the hospital in critical condition. No officers were injured during the incident.

The man’s caretaker, who was home when the shooting occurred, spoke with FOX59’s Jesse Wells on scene and said police were way too aggressive in her opinion. Deputy Chief Travis Cline said that responding to mental health emergencies can be challenging.

“Yeah, it’s hard. It’s hard for the officers,” Cline said. “They don’t come to work wanting to be in this situation, and today an unfortunate incident occurred.”

This is the first time since late April that police have been involved in a shooting in Lawrence. Officials said a woman shot and killed a dog before an officer shot and wounded her on April 27. For more information on that shooting, click here.

No other information was immediately provided by police. FOX59/CBS4 has a crew on the way to the scene, and this article will be updated once more details have been confirmed.