A routine police response to a loud domestic disturbance call escalated into a life-or-death confrontation last night when a 19-year-old man, reportedly enraged after an argument, opened his apartment door holding a loaded handgun, forcing an officer to fire his weapon in self-defense.
The incident occurred just before 10 p.m. at an apartment complex after neighbors called 911 to report a male “yelling profanities” and “banging on a nearby apartment door and walls”.
Bodycam footage, later released by the Menife Police Department, shows two uniformed officers approaching the apartment. When the door opened, the suspect, identified as Robert Arres, stepped forward with his right hand concealed. In less than three seconds from the door opening, Arres brought his hand into view, revealing a handgun pointed directly at the officer.
“The suspect looked directly at the officer and was holding a handgun in his right hand,” stated a police spokesperson.
In a split-second decision, the officer discharged his firearm once. After the shot, Arres was quickly taken into custody. Miraculously, no one was hit by the bullet. A loaded, unregistered 9mm handgun was found on the floor just inside the apartment door where Arres was last seen holding it.
Arres is being charged with multiple offenses, including Assault on a Police Officer with a Deadly Weapon and Illegal Possession of a Firearm. The officer involved has been placed on administrative leave pending a full investigation, which is standard procedure in officer-involved shootings.