Folsom’s Easter morning silence was broken by the sound of gunshots, leaving a 23-year-old man dead after an altercation with police.

Officer Michelle Beattie, Folsom Police Department public information officer, said that officers had been responding to a welfare check on the Folsom man, who has been identified as Joseph Han.

“At 10:30 Sunday morning, officers arrived at a house in the 100 block of Elkins Circle,” she said.

Officers were called to check on the man because his family was worried about him, she said.

“Family members had called FPD, saying they were concerned about (Han),” Beattie said.

According to family members, Han hadn’t eaten for three days, was hallucinating and locked himself in his bedroom.

When the officers arrived, the family members led them inside the house. At that point, Han, armed with an 8-inch long knife, allegedly came at the three police officers, Beattie said, “in a threatening manner.”

Officers drew their department-issued Taser stun guns and ordered Han to surrender.

“(Han) refused the officers’ commands,” Beattie said, “(and) kept advancing towards them.”

Beattie reported that one of the officers fired his Taser twice. While the Taser probes struck Han, he wasn’t affected, according to police.

“The suspect was still armed and very agitated, threatening the officers. Fearing for their safety and the safety of the other family members,” she said, the other officers drew their service sidearms.

“Once again, they ordered the suspect to drop the knife and surrender. He refused to do so,” she said.

The two officers fired their weapons, shots striking Han. Beattie reported that once the suspect was down, officers immediately started first-aid procedures and called for medical services.

Han was taken to U.C. Davis Medical Center, where he later died due to his injuries.
Beattie said that the three officers, all police veterans with a combined law enforcement experience of more than 30 years, have been placed on paid administrative leave, pending an investigation.

“Not knowing all the facts, the officers were acting as they should because of the circumstances," said Folsom resident Dave Parker.

El Dorado Hills resident John Schell agreed.

“I assume the officers were doing the right thing,” Schell said.

Arora Hyanes, of Cameron Park, said she believes officers took the right course of action.

“If the man was attacking the officers with a knife, then the cops were in the right,” she said.

James Shin, a Han family spokeman, told CBS13 news the family questioned the officers' decision to use deadly force.

"Whether three police officers had to go in there and surround a single individual who weighs like 130 pounds or less, when the nature of the call did not involve anything criminal, we really question whether or not the shooting is justified," he said.

The family also told the TV news station they had not ruled out taking legal action against the Folsom Police Department.

This story will be updated as more information becomes available.

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The editor of the Telegraph may be reached at donc@goldcountrymedia.com.