A non-compliant man carrying a large knife took one step toward an officer, who then fired gunshots that took him down in an encounter earlier this month, according to video released Thursday afternoon by the Muskogee Police Department. The man, 44-year-old Sean Ellis, can be heard shouting "Thou shalt not kill" as he takes a step toward Officer James Moore, which was when Moore fired three gunshots. Ellis is stable in an undisclosed condition at a Tulsa-area hospital, according to police. Muskogee police in a news release the day of the shooting characterized Ellis' movement as a "lunge" toward the officer. In a PowerPoint presentation released Thursday with the video offering an explanation of the officer's actions, the department instead used the phrase "started to move towards him."
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