On Thursday (July 2), news broke that a Wisconsin police officer shot and killed a Black man after the latter allegedly chased a woman with a pair of knives.

ABC 7 reported that the victim has been identified as Kevan Ruffin, who was 32 years old. According to police chief Christopher Domagalski, the dispatch received a call around 5:50 a.m. EST “about a man armed with a pair of three-pronged martial arts knives running at a woman in the street.”

The outlet noted that the responding officer attempted to talk to Ruffin from across the street before he allegedly went after the cop with knives. He also added that he was forced to shoot the victim after using his stun gun.

At the moment, the investigation remains ongoing and the officer has been placed on administrative leave. Chris Ott, executive director of the force, said that the results will reveal if the situation could’ve been handled differently. “We need to know why Sheboygan police killed Mr. Ruffin instead of handling this in a nonviolent way,” Ott said.

Following the devastating incident, family and friends gathered at the location where Ruffin was fatally shot.

Sheriyah Appleton, who is related to Ruffin, explained that the former had a history of psychiatric issues and that he was mistreated due to his race. “But because he was Black, he was considered a threat from the beginning,” she said. “This stuff has been going on all around the world, this is why everyone is protesting, this is why we are upset. The color of our skin should not determine whether we are taken into custody or taken to the morgue.”

The news of the victim’s death came amid nationwide protests over police brutality and racism where so many used their platforms to speak out on the matter.