Police shoot cleaver waving man in Etten-Leur

The police shot a man in Etten-Leur on Tuesday morning after he threatened officers with a cleaver. According to the police, the incident happened on Muldersweg at around 8:00 a.m. The man was taken to hospital by ambulance, NU.nl reports.

The police responded to the scene after a report of a possibly disturbed man with a cleaver acting aggressively. The man threatened the responding officers and refused to put down the knife. When he did not respond to a warning shot, the police decided to shoot him, according to the newspaper.

The man was hit in the torso. A trauma helicopter was deployed to the scene, but he was eventually taken to hospital by ambulance. He was conscious and able to communicate with emergency workers when he was taken to hospital.

The man's identity is not yet known.

The Rijksrecerche, the department that handles internal investigations at government services like the police, will investigate the shooting. This is standard procedure when a police officer fires their service weapon.