Police shot and killed a man who allegedly stabbed his ex-girlfriend and a pursuing police officer.
The ordeal began to unfold around 3 a.m. Monday when police were dispatched to 2112 Main St. in Whitehall Township, Lehigh County, for the report of a home invasion and stabbing, authorities said.
"I heard, 'Help me! Help me!' recalled Jennifer Brown, a neighbor. "I put my head against the wall. "I heard a big, loud crash, like bang, and she was yelling, 'help me!' I banged on the wall and said, 'I'm calling 911.' That's when I called them. They were here within 10 seconds."
Officers arrived to find a woman who was stabbed inside her home. She told them she awoke to find the suspect, Jerome Nichols, standing over her with a knife.
"She said he had said, 'Don't say anything. I'm going to stab you, but he stabbed me anyway,'" Brown explained. "That's what she [the victim] told me happened."
A short time later, Catasauqua officers came across Nichols, 42, driving a black Ford Explorer in the area of Race Street and pursued him into Allentown, where Nichols' vehicle became disabled on a snow bank in the 1300 block of North Plymouth Street.
Nichols got out and led a pair of Catasauqua officers and two state police troopers on a brief foot chase. One of the officers deployed a Taser, but it failed to stop Nichols, who then pivoted and pushed a Catasauqua officer into a snow bank, assaulting him with what Lehigh County District Attorney Jim Martin described as a "big carving knife," presumably the same weapon he used to stab the woman, he said.
Another Catasauqua officer and a state police trooper opened fire, shooting Nichcols multiple times, officials said. He died at the scene.
The wounded officer, whose name has not been released, suffered multiple stab wounds to areas of his body not protected by his bulletproof vest, officials said. He was rushed to St. Luke's Hospital in Fountain Hill, where he underwent emergency surgery. He is expected to make a full recovery, officials said.
The father of the injured officer spoke exclusively to Channel 69 News and wants everyone to know his son is recovering on Monday.
The father did not want to be identified, but said "Getting a rap at your door at 4:30 in the morning isn't very pleasant so we were scared."
The father said he is not surprised his son was injured because he's a brave officer who is the first one to risk his life to keep others safe.
Catasauqua police chief Douglas Kish said, "He's a good officer just like all of the other officers."
Kish said the injured officer, is not just an employee who responded to a call, he is a friend and will be kept safe through this difficult time.
"He's got family members with him and we have an officer with him twenty-four seven," said Kish.
The officer's family wants people to know the married father of 3 young children will be home soon to be with them.
The woman who was stabbed, identified by neighbors as Jacquelyn Leibenguth, 49, was transported to Lehigh Valley Hospital in Salisbury Township. She, too, is expected to recover, officials said.
Martin, the district attorney, said the relationship between Nichols and Leibenguth ended at least several weeks ago, and he characterized the incident at the woman's house as a home invasion and not a domestic dispute.
All of the officers involved the shooting have been assigned to administrative duty, as is standard procedure, pending the outcome of the investigation, officials said.
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