RAW VIDEO: Tulare police shoot man who fought officers

Update 9:10 a.m.: PLEASE NOTE: This video above contains disturbing images and graphic language. It is not appropriate for all audiences. This cellphone video, shot by a witness who wishes to remain anonymous, shows a man running from Tulare Police officers and then fighting with them.

Original story : Tulare detectives are trying to piece together what led to an officer-involved shooting Monday afternoon near Tulare First Baptist church.

Witnesses say a man attacked a police officer. Others say police used "excessive force” to combat a mentally ill man.

The incident started just after 4:30 p.m.when a bus driver called police to report he'd been assaulted. Police didn't release whether the bus driver was employed by the city or a school district.

Officers arrived in the 600 block of North Cherry Street and spotted a man matching the suspect’s description. Officers approached the man.

"There was a struggle at one point in time where the office advised over the air they had deployed their Taser, but they were ineffective," said Sgt. Jon Hamlin. "There was a short foot pursuit after that and another time where the suspect became combative."

The officers then radioed that shots had been fired.

Ralph Enriquez said he was driving near the church when he saw an officer draw his Taser. The man rushed the cop, knocking him to the ground, Enriquez said.

"I saw another officer pull up and pull his Taser out," he said. "I looked down and that's when I heard about four to five shots."

Enriquez said he then saw the man on the ground covered in blood.

Students at Cherry Avenue Middle School were at track practices when shots echoed in school hallways. Students had to be rushed inside Tulare City School District, located next to the campus. The district office was placed on lockdown, witnesses said.

David Meadows, another witness, said the man fought with officers.

“All I saw was a young black man fighting with the police,” Meadows said. “He had no weapon.”

Meadows said the man was mentally ill and police had regular contact with him. According to Meadows, officers tased the young man, but he kept fighting and managed to grab an officer's baton.

"Guy fought police for a cool minute," Meadows said. "He was whopping on them."

Then, gunshots rang out.

“They shot him seven times,” Meadows said. “They already know he’s mentally ill. Why would they do that?”

Witnesses say the man is homeless and well-known in the area. Some identified him as a former Tulare Union football star.

The man was rushed to a nearby hospital for treatment. Police didn't release the suspect's name or condition.

The officers involved were also injured in the struggle, Hamlin said.

They’ll be placed on paid administrative leave until a formal internal investigation is completed.

Tulare County Sheriff's Department's crime lab was called to the scene to gather evidence. Because it’s an officer-involved shooting an outside agency will take over the shooting investigation.

Roads are blocked in the area and police are asking residents to stay away.

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