Police Identify Officer Who Shot Knife-Wielding Man

COLUMBIA, Md. (AP) -- Howard County Police have identified the officer who shot and killed a man who threatened him with a knife.

The department said in a news release Monday that Officer First Class Luke Buchanan shot 19-year-old Gary Carmona Boitano of Hyattsville.

Boitano was shot Friday after officers were called to a home on Cardinal Lane in Columbia. A caller reported that a man with a knife was inside the home and threatening to kill him.

Police say officers who responded found Boitano in the driveway with a knife. Police say an officer was "forced to fire" at Boitano after he refused to drop the knife.

Buchanan, an 8-year veteran of the department, remains on leave as the shooting is investigated.

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