BROCKTON (WBZ-AM) -- Police shot a man who was holding a large knife Sunday night, the Plymouth County District Attorney said.
In a release, the DA's office said the shooting took place after Brockton Police responded to a 911 call on North Main Street around 6:30 p.m.
After a "confrontation" with a man with a large knife, police fired at the man, whose name has not yet been released.
A witness told WBZ-TV police shot the man after he refused to put the knife down.
"They were trying to tell him to put it down, they didn't have to shoot him the four times or three times that they did," she said. "The first shot knocked the knife out of his hand. Why keep shooting him?"
He was taken to Good Samaritan Hospital in Brockton, then transferred to Brigham and Women's hospital in Boston.
The DA's office said the man could be arraigned on a number of charges in the hospital later Monday.
The witness who spoke to WBZ-TV said police knew the man.
"They know him, they've been here more than plenty of times," she said. "They know he's not a dangerous man. There was no need of it."
It was a violent weekend in Brockton. The town saw a number of shootings, including the fatal shooting of a 24-year-old man.