Video: Pa. Police Officer Stops Man with Machete Running at Tree Trimmer

Fuentes was shot roughly 10 minutes after he entered and robbed the Fulton Bank at 860 S. Duke St.

At 10:10 a.m., bank surveillance showed Fuentes entering with a machete and duffel bag. Adams did not show surveillance footage of the robbery, both for security concerns and out of respect for what the employees and customer endured.

"The events that unfolded during the next five minutes were really nothing short of harrowing for employees and one customer whose lives were threatened during a violent robbery," Adams said.

She credited the employees for their bravery and quick thinking. One was able to call 911 and leave the phone line open. Another was taken hostage briefly.

Adams gave the following account and played footage from officers' body cameras and other video:

In the bank, Fuentes swings the 22-inch machete around and demands money before leaving with an undisclosed amount, Adams said.

About 10:16 a.m., Fuentes, leaves the bank, drives past an officer who is headed on foot south on South Duke to the bank.

The officer radios for help and gets in his vehicle and follows Fuentes to the 400 block of South Plum, where a tree trimming crane parked in the street prevents Fuentes from going any farther. Fuentes lived on the block with his parents.

Fuentes gets out of his SUV while holding the machete, swings the duffel bag over his shoulder and begins to beat his chest like a gorilla.

Fuentes goes around the crane and runs toward a tree trimmer who is operating a wood chipper, raising the machete as he approaches. While Fuentes is running toward the tree trimmer, an officer shoots Fuentes once, striking him in the lower left side of his back. Fuentes died at Lancaster General Hospital several hours later.

"The worker later told police that he recognized his life was in danger as Fuentes ran toward him with the machete raised in a menacing fashion," Adams said.

Besides the machete, Adams said police found another knife, a hatchet, a metal baton and a hammer on Fuentes.

While one of the police officers did have a Taser, Adams said the officer was not in position to use it. And while Tasers can shoot as far as Fuentes was from police — about 20 to 25 feet — both of the electric stun gun's prongs must make contact with skin to work. Adams said she thought that Fuentes was wearing a Carhartt jacket, a brand typically made of heavy fabric, and that could affect the Taser's effectiveness had an officer been able to use one.

Telling the family

Adams said she and her staff met with Fuentes' family Tuesday morning, and she offered the office's condolences to them again at the news conference.

The office "explained our decision and explained to them what information would be released to the public. They are clearly still grieving the loss of a family member," she said.

Adams declined to comment on whether Fuentes' family may have provided insight into his behavior.

Three days after the shooting, a woman who identified herself as Fuentes' mother said she was unable to talk about what happened, but said her son was a good person who had a mental illness for which he took medication.

Adams said law enforcement had also learned of posts that Fuentes made on social media the day of the robbery, which apparently hinted at what he planned to do.

At 7 a.m., Fuentes posted, "Soon you guys are gonna see me on national TV and that means the world it's gonna be funny."

Forty minutes later, he posted, "Being a nice guy doesn't always work But I'll show you how nice I am!"

Those followed two posts marked with profanity made shortly before 7 a.m. that referenced violence, including killing people in law enforcement and the military.

Investigators also retraced Fuentes movements before the bank robbery, using Lancaster Safety Coalition and other camera footage. Immediately before going to the bank, Fuentes drove to the Lancaster police station at 39 W. Chestnut St., circled it once and parked in front of it for less than 10 seconds before driving to the bank.

With the DA's investigation over, the police department will begin its own investigation into whether the officer followed its policies. Such investigations typically take about a week.

Department spokesperson Stacia Korman said such situations are traumatic for the officers involved and that the officer who shot Fuentes "is doing as well as can be expected under the circumstances."

Under state law and department policy, officers involved in shooting are required to complete a mental health evaluation for post-traumatic stress disorder.

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