OKLAHOMA CITY — Three Oklahoma City police officers shot and killed a man early Tuesday after allegedly charging at them with a machete following an earlier assault.
It is police shooting #6 and homicide #64 for the City of Oklahoma City in 2025.
The man, identified by police as Albert Benson, 62, died at a hospital after the shooting, which occurred around 3:30 a.m. near the 700 block of North Council Road in west Oklahoma City.
According to the Oklahoma City Police Department, patrol officers first responded at about 2:18 a.m. Tuesday to a report of an assault with a deadly weapon in the 7900 block of Northwest 7th Street.
There, they found a man with a deep cut to one of his hands. The victim told officers he had been attacked by a man armed with a machete.
Officers searched the area but were unable to locate a suspect.
Roughly an hour later, police were notified that the suspect had returned. Officers responding to the new call located Benson, who police allege was still armed with a machete.
According to the police account, officers attempted to de-escalate the situation and ordered Benson to drop the weapon. He reportedly refused and began yelling at officers to kill him.
Police said officers used less-lethal weapons in an effort to subdue Benson, but he continued yelling and then charged at them with the machete. Officers Clinton Caswell, Mikeem Fool, and Jacob Tedesco fired their weapons, striking Benson.
Benson was taken to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
The three officers have a broad range of experience. Caswell has served with the department for 13 years, Fool for four years, and Tedesco for one year.
The internal investigation into the three officers’ actions now begins as they goe on routine administrative leave.
In police shootings – internally termed “officer-involved shootings” – an officer goes on paid administrative leave while OKCPD investigators gather evidence.
Then, that information is turned over to Oklahoma County District Attorney Vicki Behenna, who has determined that all officer-involved shootings will go before a grand jury to decide whether to bring charges against the officer.
Once that decision has been made, the internal investigation moves forward after questions about whether the shooting was a crime have been resolved.
The department has not released footage from body-worn or dash cameras as of Tuesday afternoon. No other injuries were reported.
Brett is the founder, and editor in chief of Oklahoma City Free Press. He continues to contribute reporting and photography to the efforts of the publication as well as leadership in developing support.
