Witnesses: Deputy forced to shoot knife-wielding ‘zombie’

I wouldn’t worry too much about this news article, it seems pretty clear that this individual is mentally disturbed, and not the victim of some sort of contagion, but given the incident in Palm Beach County, Florida, I thought it might be worth mentioning. It should also be noted that this happened January 23rd, several weeks before the attack in Palm Beach County. It is possible the incident is getting more press coverage after the fact due to the similar “zombie” descriptions.

A Lake County deputy had little choice but to shoot a 24-year-old man with a “zombie” look who was wielding a long carving knife and cutting himself in the street, witnesses said Thursday.

Saum shocked neighbors about 3:30 p.m. when he emerged from the home on Aira Court brandishing the knife with cuts visible on his bare arms, said witnesses. Saum’s grandmother, they added, tried to pull the knife from the young man’s hands until neighbor Josh McMinn called her away for her safety.

McMinn tried to calm Saum for about 15 minutes while McMinn’s father and girlfriend called police. Saum continued to pace with a “blank” stare, McMinn said, while repeatedly cutting his arms. Once Saum heard police sirens he shuffled down the street dripping blood as he went.

Two deputies who arrived asked Saum to put down the knife. McMinn and York said deputies twice fired Tasers at Saum, but the barbs didn’t attach to him. Neighbors said Saum continued to move toward the deputies with the knife until he was about six feet from them.

“He just kept walking toward them like a zombie with a knife,” McMinn said. One deputy fired a shot, McMinn said, which sent Saum to the ground, but even as deputies approached Saum he continued to fight.

The part about the individual continuing to fight even after being shot is somewhat concerning, but the single shot did send the person to the ground, so the bit about the continuing to fight may be a bit of an exaggeration. I’m not too worried about this one, but I still think its worth keeping an eye on news coming out of Palm Beach County.

Read the rest of the article here.