Knife-Wielding Man at St. Louis Airport Is Fatally Shot by Police By KC Baker

A man who allegedly refused to drop a knife he was wielding at St. Louis Lambert International Airport was shot and killed by police on Friday morning, authorities said.

Just after 1 a.m. on Nov. 21, airport police officers were conducting routine security checks in Terminal 1 when they allegedly saw a man carrying a knife, the St. Louis County Police Department said in a news release.

The suspect allegedly refused to drop the weapon and was tased by one police officer, according to police.

“The suspect continued to advance towards officers, and a second police officer fired his service weapon, striking the male suspect,” the release said. 

The man, who was not identified, was pronounced deceased on scene.

“I don’t believe it was a restricted area,” police spokesperson Vera Clay told Fox 2 at the scene. “But remember the airport is for people who are traveling, using it for travel.

“A better question for the St. Louis Airport Police is, and that’s part of the investigation, why this person should not have been in the area they were in. And you have to remember also they also had a weapon and came at police. They were asked to leave and didn’t do that.”

Airport operations were not disrupted during the entire incident, CBS News reports. The officers have not been publicly identified.

Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for  PEOPLE‘s free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.

Rhonda Hamm-Niebruegge, the CEO and Airport Director at Lambert, issued a statement about the shooting, saying “Today’s incident in Terminal One was a tragic event for our airport community,” Fox 2 reports.