Police said officers spent up to 25 minutes trying to persuade the man to drop the weapon before several officers opened fire.
GARLAND, Texas — Garland police fatally shot a man early Sunday after authorities said he repeatedly refused commands to drop a machete, continued swinging the weapon and moved toward officers following an extended attempt to resolve the confrontation without gunfire.
Police said the encounter began with a 911 call at about 2:15 a.m. Sept. 7 reporting a man holding a machete near a gas station at Broadway Boulevard and Colonel Drive. Officers went to the area but initially could not find the man. About an hour later, at roughly 3:20 a.m., another caller reported a similar situation involving a man with a machete, according to police.
Officers returned and located the man. Police said officers repeatedly asked him to put down the machete and spent approximately 15 to 25 minutes negotiating with him. The department’s account indicates officers attempted to create time and distance while trying to persuade the man to surrender the weapon.
At one point, police said, the man began walking toward officers. Officers moved backward while continuing to speak with him and telling him to drop the machete. Police then used a less-lethal stun gun in an effort to subdue him, but authorities said the device did not stop him.
Police said the man continued swinging the machete and moving toward officers despite repeated commands to drop it. Several officers then fired their weapons, according to the department. Police have not publicly detailed how many officers fired, how many shots were discharged or the precise distance between the man and officers when the shooting occurred.
First responders provided emergency medical aid before the man was taken to a hospital, police said. He was pronounced dead there. His identity had not been released in the initial reports, and authorities had not announced additional information about what led to the first 911 call or why the man was carrying the machete.
No officers were injured during the confrontation, according to Garland police. The officers involved in the shooting were placed on administrative leave under department protocol while the shooting is reviewed.
Investigators are examining police body-camera recordings and surveillance video from the area as they work to establish a fuller timeline of the encounter. Those recordings could provide additional information about the officers’ commands, the man’s actions and the events immediately before police fired.
The shooting remained under investigation Sunday. Police had not publicly released the man’s name or a detailed account beyond the preliminary description of the two 911 calls, negotiations, less-lethal attempt and fatal shooting.
Author note: Last updated September 7, 2026.