STUART, Fla. — One man is dead following an officer-involved shooting in Stuart on Saturday morning, police said.
The incident occurred at Sierra Condominiums just after 7 a.m. when a Stuart police officer responded to a call regarding a man acting erratically and armed with a knife. The man was reportedly stalking a woman with the knife.
WATCH BELOW: Stuart officer shoots man who charged at him with knife
Upon arrival, the officer, identified as Kyle Osinga, spoke briefly with the 36-year-old suspect, Kenneth Christopher Cook.
Stuart Police Chief Joseph Tumminelli said the officer asked Cook to put away the knife. That’s when the chief said things quickly escalated.
"The individual then walked back towards his residence, went inside the door and then came out, which I believe, with a larger knife, approximately eight or nine inches, and immediately started sprinting and running full speed at the officer,” Tumminelli said.
WATCH: Moments leading up to knife-wielding man charging at Stuart PD officer
Tumminelli said the Osinga fired four rounds, striking Cook twice until he fell to the ground.
"Within 22 seconds from the contact to the initial shots fired by the officer, that's how quick this went down," Tumminelli said. "And in fact, it took about less than four seconds for the actual incident to actually escalate."
Cook was transported to the hospital and died from his injuries.
The incident caught neighbors by surprise.
"You never hear anything like that happening here. It's a very calm neighborhood. everybody here is quiet and kind of keeps to themselves," said Davide Lee, a resident of the apartment where it happened.
Stuart police said it’s the first fatal officer-involved shooting in the city in 24 years.
"It surprised me that they would shoot him," Lee said. "You figured they'd Tase him, take him down and put him in a mental hospital."
Tumminelli said he believes the officer's training and quick response saved his life.
“We train that at 21 feet the person with a knife is a threat, and we try to handle that threat accordingly, and unfortunately this is what happened today," Tumminelli said.
The Martin County Sheriff's Office has taken over the investigation, and Osinga has been placed on administrative leave.
Osinga has been an officer with the Stuart Police Department for 10 years.
