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Man With Samurai Sword Shot And Killed By Police

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Jan 12, 2009 7:00 am US/Pacific

Man With Samurai Sword Shot And Killed By Police

MODESTO (AP) ― A man wielding a samurai sword was shot and killed by a police officer in downtown Modesto early Sunday.

Modesto police spokesman Sgt. Brian Findlen said the 44-year old man was seen acting strangely and brandishing the two- to three-foot long sword outside a Doubletree Hotel shortly after 5 a.m. A female police officer was sent to the scene but it was not immediately clear whether the man charged the officer or what led her to shoot him, Findlen said.

Because the protective vests officers wear are not knife-proof, officers learn to consider suspects armed with pointed objects a serious threat, Findlen said.

The man, who will not be identified until police contact his relatives, was taken to the hospital. He died about an hour later.

Findlen says the officer involved in the shooting has three years experience and has been placed on paid administrative leave. Her name will be withheld for 24 hours in keeping with Modesto police policy, he said.

(© 2009 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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