Bodycam captures moments before police fatally shoot homeless man near RNC in Milwaukee

Body camera footage shows the moments before police officers fatally shot an armed man near the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee on Tuesday.

Police from Columbus, Ohio, were in a briefing when they noticed a dispute between two individuals . One of the men was brandishing knives in both hands.

"He's got a knife," one officer could be heard saying in the video.

The group of out-of-state officers rushed toward the man involved in the altercation and ordered him to drop the weapon.

"Drop, drop the knife now," police said while the armed man continued to lunge toward the other man.

Seconds later, the officers opened fire, killing the armed man.

The incident was not connected to the nearby convention.

Here's what to know.

RNC shooting: Fatal shooting of homeless man raises security questions about out-of-state police at RNC

When and where was the shooting?

The shooting occurred Tuesday afternoon, just under a mile from the convention.

Officials had amplified security measures following the assassination attempt against former president Donald Trump in Pennsylvania.

Who was killed?

The deceased man was identified as Samuel Sharpe Jr., an unhoused man known by the nickname Jehovah. He lived in a tent encampment in Milwaukee. Loved ones described him as "a beautiful person" who was known to walk his dog and carry a Bible.

Why were Columbus police officers there?

Community members pointed out how the five officers involved in the shooting were not from the city. They were among the thousands of out-of-city officers slated to be in the city, as planned before the convention.

Roughly 4,000 officers from law enforcement agencies outside the city were set to take on duties in Milwaukee this week, city officials estimated prior to the convention, with outside officers slotted for non-public-facing roles like traffic control.

Columbus police said the five officers involved in the shooting were set to return home.

Milwaukee, Columbus officials respond

Milwaukee Police Chief Jeffrey Norman and Columbus Mayor Andrew J. Ginther defended the out-of-city officers who fatally shot Sharpe.

"Someone's life was in danger," Norman said. "These officers who are not from this area took upon themselves to act to save someone's life today."

Ginther said the body-camera footage "shows that Columbus' officers acted in accordance with their training to prevent physical harm to a potential victim."

"Columbus officers were guests in Milwaukee, but they take an oath to protect and serve, wherever and whenever they are called to service," Ginther continued.

Community members question involvement of out-of-city cops

Milwaukee Alderman Robert Bauman, who represents the area where the shooting took place, suggested the incident may have gone differently if a local officer had been involved.

They would have known, "no, no, no, this is King Park, this is a known area for homeless to camp out, lots of folks with mental disabilities in here, tread carefully, de-escalate," Bauman said.

Others who criticized the involvement of Columbus officers include Shelly Sarasin of Street Angels, an outreach group that provides materials for unhoused people staying at the nearby tent encampment, and Aurelia Ceja of the Milwaukee Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression.

"Our Milwaukee police officers know about this camp and know about the people staging there and understand the issues that go along with experiencing homelessness," Sarasin said. "He didn’t have to be shot… by an officer who wasn’t from here."

Contributing: John Diedrich, Ashley Luthern, Jessica Van Egeren, Sophie Carson, Bethany Bruner, Bailey Gallion, Shahid Meighan, David Clarey, Michael Loria, Michael Collins, USA TODAY

Taylor Ardrey is a news reporter for USA TODAY. You can reach her at tardrey@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Bodycam captures moments before police fatally shoot homeless man near RNC in Milwaukee