A 25-year-old Kent man was shot and killed by Kent police early Thursday morning after wielding a machete at his family members and officers.

Chief Michelle Lee said Douglas Yon was armed with a machete and refused to leave the residence at 626 Virginia Ave.

Virginia Ave from KentWired.com on Vimeo.

His cousin, Shauna Yon, of 626 Virginia Ave., called 911 at 3:46 a.m. Thursday.

Four Kent police officers responded to the call.

Yon could be heard on the 911 call saying if police arrived, he would run at officers and make them shoot him. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Warning: This 911 call contains profanity and violence and may not be suitable for all audience members. Listener discretion is advised.

It is unknown how many officers fired their weapons. The officers will be placed on administrative leave, which is a minimum of three days.

“Our policy basically is an edged weapon is considered a lethal weapon,” Lee said. “Our policy is to treat a lethal threat like that with lethal force.”

Douglas Yon did not live at the residence, which is about a mile north of Kent State’s campus. It is owned by Shauna Yon and her mother.

Many details remain unknown about the incident, including how many officers fired their weapons, how far away Yon was from officers, the number of shots fired and why Tasers were not used.

“The officers had been involved in a tragic, traumatic incident, and we didn’t want to start asking questions immediately after the incident.”

Lee defended her officers’ actions.

“I stand behind my officers,” Lee said. “The officers did what they had to do to protect themselves.”

Kent City Police 11am Press Conference from KentWired.com on Vimeo.

Lee said the department responded to a call at the same residence in October, where Yon was a victim or a witness to a domestic incident at the home.

Three other people were in the house: Shauna Yon’s friend and the friend’s boyfriend and their son, as well as Shauna Yon’s one-year-old daughter.

Shauna Yon said Douglas Yon was staying at the residence for work.

The officers’ weapons were collected at the scene.

The last officer-involved shooting in Kent was in 1992.

The department currently has 41 officers on the force.

Kent police officers do not have body cameras. The departments’ vehicles are equipped with dash cameras, but the cruiser was not parked facing the scene.

The Portage County Sheriff’s office responded to the incident, and the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation collected evidence. The Portage County Prosecutor’s Office and Portage County Coroner’s Office are also involved. 

Ian Klein contributed reporting.

Contact Emily Mills at [email protected].