DESOTO, Texas — DeSoto police released new details and a 40-second video Monday showing a man approaching officers armed with knives, ignoring commands to drop the weapons before an officer shot him.
Police say the man, Arthur Lee Armstrong Jr., 26, called 911 and said he had weapons and wanted to harm police.
Officers went to the 1000 block of Hunters Creek Drive after a second caller reportedly told police that Armstrong had mental issues, was there with multiple others, had a knife and wouldn’t put it down, according to DeSoto Police Chief Joseph Costa.
Costa said DeSoto police had responded to calls involving Armstrong in the past.
He said when officers arrived, Armstrong approached the three officers, armed with a knife in each hand, and refused commands to drop the weapons. An officer shot Armstrong once in the chest as Armstrong approached, police say.
Armstrong was taken to an area hospital and pronounced dead, police say.
Costa said the officer who shot Armstrong, who'd been with the department for four years, was placed on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of an investigation into the shooting.
Officers with Major Crimes Unit of the Grand Prairie Police Department’s investigative services bureau responded to the scene at the request of the DeSoto Police Department and are leading the investigation, Costa said. The Dallas County District Attorney’s Office is also conducting an independent investigation of the shooting.
Armstrong's brother, Arkansas Razorback wide receiver Andrew Armstrong, mourned his brother's passing in a post on X. Armstrong noted his brother had mental health issues.
Charles Boyce, an attorney and Arthur’s godfather, said the family is struggling to understand why the level of force was necessary.
“This was a mental health issue. This was a mental health crisis that was going on,” Boyce said. “The DeSoto Police Department has encountered Mr. Armstrong on at least two other occasions and successfully helped him…We’re having a hard time understanding why this outcome had to be.”
“One of the biggest things that the mother…has a problem understanding is why the level of force, why an AR-15 military-style weapon was used in this instance,” Boyce said.
State Rep. Carl Sherman, D-DeSoto, is Armstrong's cousin and said he’s grieving as a member of the family.
“Chief Costa, we are grateful for how you are handling the aftermath…I’m conflicted as a member of the family and then being acknowledged as a state representative…I’m here on behalf of my family. We’re grieving right now. We can’t bring AJ back,” Sherman said. “We do want to make sure no other family has to suffer like this…We know that when there are mental illness, there’s a different way that we handle those situations.”
DeSoto Mayor Pro Tem Letitia Hughes called the shooting “tragic” and said the city is committed to “being transparent and accountable.”
“Any loss of life is a tragedy, and we recognize the profound grief this causes for the family, friends, and the entire community,” Hughes said. “We are committed to being transparent and accountable to the public as the facts emerge.”