TAYLORSVILLE, Utah (ABC4) – The Taylorsville City Police Department has released details and the identity of the distressed man who was shot by officers late Friday night, Mar. 17, after threatening them with scissors and a knife.

“He was armed with a knife,” said Lieutenant Aaron Cheshire with the Taylorsville Police Department. “He was inside the house. He was destroying property. He was also causing some self-inflicting wounds to himself.”

The man, Alex Boren, who officials say suffers from PTSD and schizophrenia, was visiting a friend at their home in Taylorsville when the homeowner made a call to the police.

“The original call that came in for the officers was that there was a male that was inside a home having some type of a mental episode and who was also suicidal,” said Cheshire.

Police first used a taser and 40mm rounds as “less-lethal” forms of restraining Boren but ultimately, they were not effective. Officers then discharged their firearms, according to Taylorsville Police.

Police say that officers trained in dealing with mental health episodes were on the scene. However, they said these kinds of situations are dynamic and hard to predict.

“A lot of times people in crisis are unpredictable and that’s why we have less lethal options like that that can hopefully help with that sort of thing but they’re, they’re unpredictable,” said Cheshire. “That’s the hard part about it, none of them are the same.”

Police also advise anyone who knows someone who may suffer from a mental health episode to contact those trained to help through the crisis line.

“Salt Lake County has a crisis line. There’s several that can get them help and I think that’s what the person in the situation was trying to do. trying to get their friend from ultimately hurting themselves.”

If you or a loved one is in a mental health crisis or struggling with thoughts of suicide, call the suicide prevention hotline at 988, or if you are located in Salt Lake County, you can call the crisis line at (801) 587-3000.