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Officers fatally shoot man with knife in Far North Dallas, officials say

Officers were called to a disturbance in the 5800 block of Belt Line Road in a wooded area near an apartment complex not far from White Rock Creek.

Update:
Updated 10:03 a.m. June 30: Revised to include man's identity.

Dallas police officers fatally shot a man who moved toward them with a knife in a wooded area of Far North Dallas on Friday evening, police officials said.

Dallas police spokeswoman Kristin Lowman said officers responded to reports of a disturbance about 6:45 p.m. in the 5800 block of Belt Line Road, near Preston Road.

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They learned a man was suspected of family violence aggravated assault, and found the suspect and a woman inside a tent, Lowman said. The man had a knife, which officers told him to drop, she said.

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The woman “was able to get out of the tent” and officers deployed less-lethal ammunition to get the man to comply, Lowman said. As the man moved toward police with the knife, officers opened fire and struck him, she said.

The man was taken to a hospital, where he died. He was identified in Dallas County medical examiner records as 34-year-old Cody Watkins.

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Police did not release any details about how many times he was shot, what type of less-lethal ammunition they used and how many officers opened fire.

Dallas police officers gathered in a parking lot between apartment buildings after officers...
Dallas police officers gathered in a parking lot between apartment buildings after officers fatally shot a man with a knife Friday in Far North Dallas, officials said.(Kelli Smith / Staff)

The woman was also taken to a hospital with injuries that weren’t serious, Lowman said without elaborating. No officers were injured.

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More than a dozen police vehicles were parked about 10 p.m. at the Rock Creek Apartments, which is adjacent to White Rock Creek.

At least three officers walked a trail alongside the creek with flashlights. Residents barred from driving in stood outside a fence surrounding the complex and watched as detectives and top police brass gathered in a parking lot between apartment buildings.

A Dallas Animal Services vehicle drove away from the scene about 10:30 p.m. Lowman declined to specify if any animals were at the scene when the shooting occurred.

Two officers stood outside the entrance of the complex and directed residents to park elsewhere for several hours. About midnight, residents were allowed to enter and many officers began to leave the complex.

Robin Flashing, 26, said he’s lived at the complex for about nine months and was trying to get home from his shift as a bartender when officers pointed at him and told him to wait around the building.

Although the area has experienced less serious crime, like car theft, he said, a shooting like this was unusual.

“I’m surprised at the fact that it is this area,” Flashing said. “This is a first for it — for me at least.”

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