Let me see your hands first. What? Back up. >> Stop, bro. >> Where's the ambulance? >> Where's the ambulance? >> The ambulance. >> Early evening in Roswell around 5:30 p.m. when the sun is still clinging to the rooftops along South Michigan Avenue and families are winding down for the day. Police are dispatched to what sounds like an ordinary domestic disturbance, the kind of call officers answer dozens of times a month. But as they pull up to the small neighborhood street, something about the scene feels off tense, unsettled, waiting to tip. And moments later, it will. Let me see your hands. Let me see your hands. >> Why? Stop trying to be careful. >> Back up. Back up. >> Hey, >> back up. >> Stop, brother. I'm not playing. >> I'm not playing either. Back up. >> Back up, bro. Put that knife down. >> Put the knife. >> Facing the officers, the young man completely lost control of his emotions. Maybe he truly didn't believe the police would take things any further. Maybe that's why he carried himself with such boldness, such certainty. But the knight wasn't going to bend to his expectations. Not this time. >> Put the knife down. >> When I come holding a knife, hold the air. >> Put the knife down. >> Put the knife down. >> Put it down. >> Put the knife down. >> Do not come towards me, brother. I'm not telling I'm telling you. Do not [ __ ] >> You want to go home knowing you killed a 20-year-old? >> Back up. Oh no. >> Stop, bro. >> Back up. >> Hey, turn around, please. Put your hands behind your back. Put your hands behind your back. >> Okay, please. Is he okay? >> Hold on. Hold on. >> Why am I here? Why are they here? Is he okay? IS HE OKAY? NO. NO. NO. NO. I NEED TO HEAD INSIDE. >> NO. NO. >> STAND UP. >> NO. NO. NO. MY DAUGHTER. IS HE OKAY? >> Is he okay? >> Keep going. >> Keep breathing. Hey, hang in there. >> Ambulance is here. He's not okay. >> Keep breathing. Keep breathing. Keep breathing. >> Where's the ambulance? Where's the Yeah. >> Can I get you in Michigan traffic? >> All right, brother. Stay with me, bro. Stay with me. Let's go. >> Stay with us, buddy. >> Hey, Solace, will you start grabbing the witnesses for us? >> Stay with us, buddy. No more. Stay with me. All right. How many? We got >> this might be buddy. >> Good. Relax. Starting off. >> Hey, keep breathing, bud. Okay, >> keep breathing, buddy. Keep breathing. >> Keep breathing, buddy. >> Good, man. >> As the echo of the gunshots faded, another sound took over the quiet, shaking sobs of his girlfriend. Everything had happened too fast, too violently, too suddenly. She stood there in the flashing lights, overwhelmed, unprepared for the moment that had just SHATTERED THE NIGHT. MY DAUGHTER. >> Is he okay? >> Keep going. >> Is he okay? >> WE DON'T KNOW. KEEP GOING. BACK UP. >> Stay over here by the house. >> Hey, stay over here by the house. >> Ma'am, stay over there by the house. >> Come on. He's not okay. >> Where's the ambulance? >> Where's the ambulance? >> The ambulance is on its way. >> You tell me it's okay. >> Tell me he's okay. >> Ma'am, I don't know. I'm not EMS. >> Please. Please. Please tell me he's okay. What? Is he okay? >> I just need you to stay over here. Okay. Please, please stop. Is he okay? >> You guys want TO GO INSIDE? >> NO, I DON'T WANT TO GO INSIDE. I WANT TO KNOW IF HE'S OKAY. >> NO. Is he okay? >> They're going to be in the medication. >> Is he breathing? >> OKAY. ME. >> NO, I don't want to go inside. My baby's in there. >> No, >> here. Please. NO. >> I KNOW. I UNDERSTAND. Medics are here. >> Is he okay? It's just them two and then they have a kid inside. >> So you just go inside. >> No. >> No. I want to be with you. >> Is your boyfriend? >> Yes. We have our baby inside. >> No. >> I'm going to go move my >> What do you mean you going to take him out of here? >> I'll take you. We going to take it to the PD. >> Why? Okay. They got to work on him. Okay. >> He just broke my and that's it. I didn't want him to die. No. He didn't want that. The medics are going to work on him. >> He's not dead. >> Okay. The medics are going to work on him. Okay. That's what they're here for. >> Okay. No. >> The medics are here. Okay. So, we need to go inside. Okay. >> Where's the baby at? Hey, keep breathing, bud. >> Keep breathing, buddy. Keep breathing. >> Keep breathing, buddy. >> You have any more questions? >> Hey, tell the aliens to come over here. >> Keep breathing. Hey, >> keep breathing, bud. This way. >> Keep breathing. There you go. There you go. Keep breathing. You're all right. You're all right. >> I can cover both feet. I got you. >> I got you. Keep breathing, buddy. Watch your hands. >> Hey, keep breathing. >> Keep breathing, buddy. >> Hey, we're starting to lose lots of blood. >> I'm covering these Keep breathing. >> Keep breathing. Good job. >> Keep breathing, buddy. >> I got a couple gunshot wounds to the chest. Um, I think I have two on my right hand. I have one entrance on my left middle finger. >> Come on, buddy. Keep breathing. >> And I have one, it looks like an outlet. Usually it's getting >> Hey, you okay? You okay? >> Well, one chest sealed that stayed good. One stuck to my hand. My >> piece by piece, the story began to take shape through the voices of nearby neighbors and through the account of the officer who fired his weapon that evening. Slowly, the picture of what happened on that quiet street started to emerge. So about 520, 5:15, we were dispatched to 12:03 South Michigan for a domestic disturbance. Pretty much from what we got from the notes is the guy was outside beating on the girlfriend's car, breaking the windows, hitting the car with a chair. So, we start driving that way and me and Melendez were talking that if we get up there and he's kind of irate and acting crazy, we're just going to detain him and then start getting the sides of all the sides of the story of what's going on. >> So, we pull up. As we're pulling up, we can see the vehicle that he's beating on is kind of sticking out into the street a little bit. It's kind of in the driveway, but it's kind of out in the street. So, we park on the opposite side of the street, maybe half a house down. We get out, start walking over to him, trying to talk to him. You can tell he's already upset I rate. So, we start closing the distance cuz we're going to go ahead and detain him with the back of the vehicle. as we get about 6 to 8 ft from him, he pulls out a knife. Um, at that time I pulled out my my firearm. Mendes pulled out his taser at first and I guess once he seen what he had in his hand, he went ahead threw his taser, pulled out his firearm. We start backing up, telling him to drop the knife, stop coming forward, dropped the knife. you have his girlfriend and the girlfriend's mom or his mom yelling the same thing. He's not listening. He continues to keep stepping forward and at some point he's like, "How are y'all going to build killing a 20-year-old?" We couldn't back up any further cuz the car was kind of on the sidewalk and the in the driveway and in the street. I just told him, you know, stop coming forward, stop coming forward. He continued to come forward and at that time we opened fire. >> Okay. You said that when you stepped out you could tell that he was irate. Explain that in detail. >> Pacing back and forth cuz looking upset. >> Okay. >> Then you mentioned that Melendas had his taser and you had your firearm. >> Yes, sir. >> There there was a time that you had your taser out as well. >> No. >> No. No. >> Because from where I was at, I could see he pulled out and went. So I immediately went to my firearm. Okay. What kind of taser do you have? >> Um, the issued one. I don't know what it is. >> Is it the same as Melinda's? >> Yes. >> Same. Okay. Same color, same model and everything. >> Yes, sir. >> Okay. >> The reason I ask is because there's a red There's a red dot and a green dot on Nicholas. >> That's when I just had his taser up. >> So, his taser produces two lights. >> Yeah. Same as mine. It has yours does as well. Yes, sir. >> Okay. A red and a green one. Yes. >> Okay. I didn't I wasn't aware of that. Okay. Um Okay. Then you said he pulled out a knife from his waistband. >> I'm not exactly sure if it was his waistband or his pocket. He kind of turned to the side, lifted his shirt, and just pulled it out. >> Okay. And describe the knife for me. >> It was like one of the bigger like pusher knives, kitchen knives. >> Mhm. >> Silver black handle. >> Okay. And then you had mentioned he made a comment something about how are you going to feel killing a 20-year-old? >> Yes, sir. >> Okay. What were your thoughts at that time? >> Honestly, I was just hoping he didn't continue to come forward. >> Okay. And once the shots were fired, then then what happened after that? >> Um shots were fired. One is moved up. But at first the girlfriend came out and was right there on top of him. So Melindis got her out the way. He threw the knife away. I holstered, went over there. We turned him over, put him in cuffs. I was going to put a tourniquet on his arm because I could see him bleeding, but when we turned him back over, I could see the holes in his chest. He's really going to do anything. So I pul put my tourniquet back up and Melendez went to the unit to try to I think get some chest seals and by that time everyone else kind of started coming in so I just stepped back. >> Okay. You ready to go Trevor you? >> No. Melendas did get on the radio um and no shots fired. I believe he got on the radio prior to the shots fired saying um suspect at bay with a knife before the shots were fired and then after the shots fired shots fired. >> When the neighborhood finally fell quiet again, one young man was gone and two officers found themselves placed on leave as the investigation began. In Roswell, the sun set on more than just the day. It set on a moment that now sits under the microscope of three agencies, each trying to determine how a call for help ended in tragedy. And until those answers come, South Michigan Avenue won't forget what happened on that winter evening.