New video shows the moment a man charged at a Coolidge police officer with a machete, prompting a deadly officer-involved shooting last week.
The Pinal County Sheriff’s Office says on Feb. 5, around 7:30 p.m., a Coolidge police officer was checking on a vehicle that was parked near Palo Verde Avenue and Arizona Boulevard. Body camera video shows the officer asking a woman questions about her shattered windshield.
Doorbell security video shared by PCSO shows 54-year-old Francisco Canales Aguilar leaving his home with a machete tucked under his arm.
As the officer was speaking with the woman, Aguilar pulled up in a separate vehicle. Video shows Aguilar start walking toward the two with the machete.
“No, no, no, no,” the woman says, as the officer tells Aguilar to stop.
“Sir, put it down! Put it down! Put it down!” the officer screams as Aguilar begins running toward him, swinging the machete and hitting it on the ground. The officer fires multiple shots as Aguilar falls.
Another officer then arrives for backup as Aguilar is lying on the ground.
“Where’s the knife at, bro?” “Where’s the knife at, right there?” the second officer asks. “He dropped it,” the first officer says, referencing the machete next to Aguilar.
Firefighters were called to the scene and pronounced Aguilar dead.
A PCSO spokesperson said Aguilar called a family member to say goodbye before the shooting. The spokesperson also said that Aguilar was going through a divorce.