A machete-wielding man killed by police in Pasco has been identified. He had already made threats

Pasco police officers shot and killed a 47-year-old man who allegedly attacked them with a machete Thursday evening.

Salih Beslic of Pasco was identified as the suspect who confronted officers outside a shopping center in the 3200 block of Court Street.

Franklin County Coroner Curtis McGary said an autopsy was scheduled for Saturday morning.

Police were called to the mall around 6:46 p.m. Thursday after reports that Beslic had a machete and was chasing people.

A police Facebook post said officers tried to calm Beslic down, but he allegedly refused to surrender his weapon. Instead, he charged at the officers, they said.

A police officer shot Beslic, but he died instantly.

Police have not released the name of the officer involved in the shooting.

The Regional Special Investigations Unit has taken over the investigation, Pasco police said. The unit recruits officers from Benton, Franklin and Walla Walla counties to investigate officer-involved shootings.

Beslic lived nearby on Opal Street and had previously lived in Salt Lake City, Utah, according to public records. He was married and the father of three children.

Previous threats

Court records show Beslic has had previous run-ins with police. He suffered from mental health issues and became agitated if he stopped taking his medication, according to court documents.

In 2014, he pleaded guilty to third-degree assault after threatening a police officer with a 10-inch knife, according to court documents. He was sentenced to three months in prison.

The confrontation took place in June 2014 after police were alerted that he may have been attempting suicide following a disagreement with his wife.

When he raised the knife at a police officer, the officer pulled out his gun and began yelling at him to drop the knife.

“Salih was looking at me and it looked like he was trying to attack me with his gun,” Officer Adam Brewster wrote in 2014.

Brewster said he almost pulled the trigger before Beslic threw the knife away. He continued to be uncooperative and a Taser was used to shock him.

In September 2020, he was arrested after officers found him brandishing a sword in a Court Street car park. The police tried to talk to him to make him drop his weapon. He seemed ready to throw himself, so the officers also shocked him with a Taser.

He was not charged during this confrontation.