Evansville police shoot, kill armed homeless man

EVANSVILLE, Ind. (AP) - A homeless man fatally shot by Evansville police after he charged at an officer with a knife and stole her squad car had said he was "going to kill some cops," authorities said Wednesday.

Daniel J. Wooters, 38, died at a hospital following the shooting, which happened about 9 p.m. Tuesday, police said.

Wooters was listed as homeless but had family in Carbondale, Illinois, Vanderburgh County Coroner Steve Lockyear said.

Officers had been called to a restaurant in the city's Eastland Mall because Wooters was acting aggressively and making threats to kill someone and, then specifically, police officers.

"I'm going to kill some cops," Wooters told bystanders, according to a police news release Wednesday.

Wooters walked to a nearby bank parking lot and was looking into an unoccupied car when the first officer arrived and got out of her squad car to try to stop him, police said. Wooters pulled out a knife and confronted the officer, and when she moved behind her cruiser to get away from Wooters, he jumped inside and drove off, police said.

A chase ensued until Wooters lost control of the vehicle. He exited the car with his knife in his hand, and three officers fired at him, police said.

The situation "went from 0 to 60 in half a second," police spokesman Sgt. Jason Cullum said, adding that officers performed CPR on Wooters before he was transported to the hospital.

No officers were injured. The officers who fired on Wooters were placed on paid administrative lead.