A man armed with a snow shovel was shot and killed after he repeatedly attempted to attack an officer, according to police.

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Witnesses Describe Man's Alleged Violent Behavior

Sheriff's deputies in St. Clair County say the man apparently went on a violent rampage through a neighborhood, but they continue to work to determine what motivated his actions, Local 4 reported.

Evelyn Milhan, a homeowner on Shea Road in Cottrellville Township, called police around 10 p.m. Sunday to report the man was screaming and banging on her door.

"He was just screaming and pounding on the door. I literally thought he was going to break the door down," said Milhan.

Nick Braun, who was driving in the area, said the man then attempted to attack his car.

"As I was going around him on the shoulder ... he hit my car with a shovel," said Braun.

The nearest sheriff's deputy was 30 miles away, so a Marine City police officer responded to the scene, Local 4 reported.

The officer reportedly learned that the man was walking along Shea Road, vandalizing cars with a snow shovel.

He had knocked off the rearview mirror of one car and smashed out a window on another car, according to police.

Witnesses said the man appeared to be irrational, was screaming and swinging the snow shovel violently at the cars.

The officer confronted the man walking eastbound on Shea.

Witnesses say when the officer attempted to talk to the alleged vandal, the man started waving the shovel around, then charged at the officer, according to Local 4 reports.

The officer attempted to run from the man and ordered him to get down on his knees, but the culprit kept coming at the officer, according to police.

"The individual kept coming and he did what was described as a karate kick (and) caught the officer in the right arm and in the chest area," said St. Clair County Sheriff Dan Lane.

Police say the officer used his baton to try and hit the man in his leg and bring him to the ground, but his attempt failed.

The man charged again and the officer pulled out his gun, fired one shot and struck the man in the chest, according to police.

The man was taken to River District Hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.

Police say the 31-year-old man was believed to be from Shelby Township, but they were still working to find his next of kin.

The officer was put on administrative leave pending the outcome of an investigation.