Man shot, killed by Lancaster police officer identified; investigation ongoing

The Lancaster County District Attorney's Office has identified the man shot and killed by a city police officer Sunday.

Ricardo Munoz, 27, was shot and killed after officers were dispatched to the 300 block of Laurel Street at 4:15 p.m. Sunday for a domestic disturbance, according to a news release.

Munoz, who was armed with a knife, was shot by an officer and pronounced dead at the scene, according to the release.

The officer involved has been placed on administrative leave. Lancaster police chief Jarrad Berkihiser said during a news conference earlier Sunday evening that the officer's body camera captured the shooting, and the footage has been turned over to the district attorney's office.

The district attorney's office released details based on preliminary investigation of the firing officer's body camera.

"The footage shows that when the officer gets in front of a residence in the 300 block of Laurel Street, Munoz immediately emerges from inside and runs toward the officer, brandishing a knife above his head, in clear view, in a threatening manner," according to the release. "The officer then fired."

No one else was struck by the gunfire, according to the release.

The district attorney's office will conduct a criminal investigation, while the police department will conduct an administrative personnel investigation "to make sure policy and training and use of force was properly followed and established," Berkihiser said earlier Sunday.

Lancaster County District Attorney Heather Adams echoed Berkihiser's calls for peace as the investigations proceed.

“A police-involved shooting has significant impact on a community, as we are seeing with the large number of individuals gathering in the streets,” Adams said in the release. “However, I am asking that all reaction be tempered as the investigation is ongoing.”

Adams added that her office will work to release details in a timely manner.

"We ask that acts of protest remain peaceful as violence and destruction of property will become headlines and serve no purpose for the safety and well-being of our citizens and neighborhoods," she wrote.