Moments before he stabbed another man inside a south Minneapolis apartment and was fatally shot by police, the suspect was pleading for help and saying that someone was out to harm his family, a manager of the apartment building said.

Terry Haigler, who is a live-in manager at an apartment building in the 2100 block of Minnehaha Avenue S., said he heard loud noises before dawn Monday from his neighbor's apartment. When Haigler knocked on the door, the suspect came out asking for help.

"He kept saying, 'Please help me. Someone is trying to kill my family,' " Haigler said. "He was highly agitated."

Haigler said he knew the man, who went by the name "Raul." He didn't live in the building, but frequently visited an elderly tenant there. "He was respectful, never had an issue with him until this morning," Haigler said.

Haigler said Raul gave him a note with his wife's name and contact information. Raul had a "large hunting knife," about 8 inches long, but Haigler said "I certainly didn't feel afraid at the time."

Raul led Haigler outside and pointed to a van, saying that the person inside wanted to hurt his family. The van was empty, Haigler said. Raul then said that there was someone pointing a rifle at him, but Haigler said he didn't see anything.

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Officers from the Minneapolis Police Department stand guard outside the scene of a possible officer involved shooting in Minneapolis.

"That's when I realized something was wrong," Haigler said. He called police.

According to police, officers were alerted by a 911 call to a "combative adult male with a weapon" in an apartment building about 5:15 a.m. Officers encountered the suspect, who ran into a nearby apartment inside the two-story building.

The officers attempted to speak with the suspect, and after hearing cries for help, forced their way into the unit and saw the suspect stabbing a man. Officers responded by shooting the suspect.

Haigler said police tried to negotiate with Raul as he was inside the other apartment, but he wanted to speak with his wife.

"Then he started yelling, 'I'm going to kill this man, I'm going to kill him,' " Haigler said. "The tenant started screaming and [police] had no choice."

One officer at the scene suffered a broken bone and was treated, police said, declining to be more specific about the injury or how it occurred.

The man who was stabbed was taken to Hennepin County Medical Center. His prognosis is unknown.

Scanner traffic captured by the MN Police Clips website indicated that the suspect was an "unwanted party, guest … refusing to leave."

The suspect also was taken to HCMC and died there.

Karen Zamora • 612-673-4647