Police kill knife-wielding man who lunged at officer

A 59-year-old man who lunged at a Philadelphia police officer with a pair of butcher knives was killed yesterday morning when the officer's partner shot him.

Police identified the dead man as Secundino Rivera, 59.

Police were called to the 2900 block of Kip Street in the city's Kensington section at 11:30 p.m. after a report of a person with a knife, said Lt. Frank Vanore, a police spokesman.

"They were met by a 71-year-old woman who told them a boarder had threatened her and made an attempt to assault her," Vanore said. "She described the man as being armed with two large knives."

The officers found Rivera inside the house lying on a sofa, his hands hidden under a cushion. They asked him to sit up and he refused, Vanore said.

After several requests, Rivera stood up with a knife in each hand and held them to his chest, threatening to stab himself. The officers ordered him to drop the knives, and "during the confrontation, he lunged at one of the officers," Vanore said.

The officer's partner drew and fired his service weapon once, striking Rivera in the chest. He was taken to Temple University Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 11:45 a.m.

The officer who fired the weapon will be investigated by Internal Affairs and East Detectives and placed on administrative duties until the probe is completed. Police declined to identify the officers involved.