NEW ORLEANS (AP) -- New Orleans police have cordoned off the area where officers shot and killed a man Monday afternoon.
Yellow tape blocks traffic in both directions along St. Charles Avenue, as well as the wide median about eight blocks from Lee Circle.
New Orleans police say the man had threatened an officer with a knife.
Officer David Adams, a police spokesman, said officers had repeatedly asked the man to drop the knife, which had a three-inch blade, then used pepper spray on him.
He says the man then walked toward an officer, who backed out of the way to avoid being stabbed in the chest.
Adams says he does not know how many officers fired or how many shots were fired. That is under investigation.
He says the officers had responded to a call from a businessman who had just had a confrontation with the man.
The man's name is being withheld until relatives are notified.
Attorney Robert Jenkins was questioned by police, then approached a group of reporters to give a statement, saying he had seen the shooting.
But a detective called him over and spoke briefly.
After that, Jenkins said he had decided against giving a statement just then.
(Copyright 2005 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
