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San Jose State University Police Taser, Shoot Suspect Dead

SAN JOSE (KCBS) - A knife-wielding man hit with a stun gun by a San Jose State University police officer, then shot by another campus police officer, subsequently died from his injuries, police said Friday.

The two officers confronted the man at an apartment complex near Eighth and San Salvador streets on the south end of campus around 11 a.m., ordering him to drop the weapon.

"At some point, the dialogue between the officers and the subject broke down, and the suspect charged at the officers with the knife," said Officer Albert Morales, a spokesman for the San Jose Police Department.

One officer used a Taser to try and subdue the man, but the stun gun had no effect, Morales said, so the other officer shot the man in defense of the two officers' lives.

Alyssa Gomez, who lives near the scene of the shootout, said her 13-year-old daughter was spending the night at her friends at the apartment complex. The girls told her they heard no verbal commands from the officers and only heard the sound of a Taser.

"They used a Taser for sure and then a gentleman got up to try to run from the officer and that's when the officer shot him," Gomez said.

The suspect, whose name has not been released, was taken to Santa Clara Valley Medical Center for treatment, Morales said, only to be pronounced dead at the hospital.

The police investigation affected access to student housing in the area for several hours.

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