The Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office has determined that a San Jose police officer last year lawfully shot and killed a heavily armed man dressed in military fatigues after he shot at officers.

No officers were wounded in the July 2025 shootout.

Prosecutors said San Jose patrol officers  had responded to Karim Khan’s home after his parents said that their mentally ill, 37-year-old son was being violent with them.

His parents told arriving officers Khan was unarmed. The schizophrenic man, though, had armed himself with a pump action shotgun, a bolt action rifle, a revolver, and a semi-automatic pistol, along with more than 50 rounds of ammunition. Khan ignored numerous attempts by officers to get him to disarm and surrender before he was killed.

The DA’s report released June 17 concluded: “For decades, Khan’s parents provided their son with a robust and caring support system. Unfortunately, the evidence suggests Khan still struggled, independently acquiring firearms and eventually creating an armed confrontation with law enforcement. His conduct that afternoon placed the officers in an impossible situation that required lethal force in self-defense.”

The District Attorney’s Office investigates all fatal law enforcement encounters to determine if the lethal force was legal. Officers can legally use deadly force when they or others face imminent danger.

On July 6, 2025, the father of Karim Khan called 911 and reported that his son was becoming physically violent with him at the house. San Jose police responded to the home, located on Recife Way, near Guadalupe Oak Grove Park in South San Jose.

After conferring with both parents in the driveway of the home, four officers entered the backyard to speak with Khan. As the officers moved closer to where Khan was located, he drew a rifle and pointed it at them. The officers retreated to safety in front of the home.

The officers spoke directly with Khan over the phone for approximately 10 minutes, attempting to get him to drop his weapon and exit the backyard unarmed, according to prosecutors.

He allegedly told police, “I know this is not gonna [sic] end well for me…I have no intention of backing down.” In response to an officer’s question to Khan about what type of weapon he was carrying, Khan said, “You’ll find out soon enough.”

Moments after the call ended, Khan fired a shot in the officers’ direction, striking one of the police vehicles four feet from where the officers were located. Khan then jumped over the rear fence into the backyard of the home located behind the Khan home, where three officers were stationed. Body worn camera footage shows Khan and Officer Sebastian Wisniewski firing almost simultaneously. The officers in the yard repeatedly warned Khan to stop moving, but Khan refused. Officer Wisniewski, a veteran officer and firearms instructor who is also a former Marine, fired further shots, with repeated warnings to Khan to stop moving, resulting in Khan’s death. An autopsy showed Khan was shot five times.

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