Man killed in Redwood City police shooting identified as Palo Alto teacher

Redwood City police shot an allegedly suicidal man Monday morning after he ran at officers with a butcher knife, authorities said. Redwood City police shot an allegedly suicidal man Monday morning after he ran at officers with a butcher knife, authorities said. Photo: / Photo: / Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close Man killed in Redwood City police shooting identified as Palo Alto teacher 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

A man shot to death by Redwood City police was identified Tuesday as Kyle Hart, a 33-year-old teacher in Palo Alto.

Don Austin, superintendent of Palo Alto Unified School District, confirmed that Hart had been an instructor for three years at Greene Middle School.

“We are starting to hear some of the stories about how Kyle positively impacted students, but our efforts are focused on providing support to those struggling with grief right now,” Austin said. “Our thoughts are with his family and those who knew him.”

Officers responded around 8:47 a.m. Monday to a home on the 400 block of Lincoln Avenue after a woman identifying herself as Hart’s wife called 911 to report that her husband was attempting suicide.

Police said that a woman covered in blood redirected first responders to the backyard, where they found Hart carrying a butcher knife.

Two officers tried to de-escalate the situation, according to police, but Hart allegedly ran at them with the butcher knife. An officer tased Hart, and then the second officer shot him when the Taser failed to subdue him.

Hart was transported to Stanford Hospital for his injuries and pronounced dead at 9:37 a.m. Neither officer was injured.

The San Mateo County district attorney’s office is investigating the shooting, and results are expected within eight to 10 weeks.

“Our investigation is a criminal investigation to determine whether either of the two officers involved violated any of California’s penal statutes in the use of force as to Mr. Hart,” said District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe.

Hart had a wife and two children, Wagstaffe said.

Gwendolyn Wu is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: gwendolyn.wu@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @gwendolynawu