BERWICK - A man was shot by police Saturday night in Berwick after he allegedly failed to drop a knife with which he was chasing another man.
The victim, Edwin Ramos Ramirez, underwent surgery overnight and is listed in critical condition at Geisinger Medical Center Sunday afternoon.
State police at Bloomsburg say a Berwick police patrolman was the officer that fired the shot, hitting Ramirez in the shoulder in the 11 p.m. shooting. The investigation into the incident is continuing.
According to state police, the Berwick officer responded to a report of a fight involving a weapon at 1335 Spring Garden Avenue, Berwick. When local officers arrived on scene they observed a male on the porch with a stick and another male, Ramirez, in the doorway with a knife.
The officer, not identified by police, gave verbal commands for the combatants to drop their weapons. The male with the stick did while Ramirez did not, and began to chase the other male off the porch with the knife raised, coming within a few feet of the other person.
The patrolman continued to command Ramirez to drop the knife, and when the suspect refused, the officer discharged his weapon, shooting Ramirez in the shoulder.
State police say two additional Berwick Police officers arrived on the scene as the shooting took place and were witness to it.
The suspect was given medical attention and transported to Berwick Hospital first before being taken to Geisinger for surgery.