This story was originally published by the WND News Center.

A Milwaukee homeless man was shot dead blocks away from the Republican National Convention Tuesday, after he was seen wielding a knife during an altercation with another man in a local park.

Identified by family members as Samuel Sharpe, he had reportedly been living in a tent encampment in King Park less than a mile from the RNC convention. Alexi Worley, a spokesperson in the convention's joint command center said there was nothing to suggest the shooting was connected to the event.

According to an eyewitness, he had at least one knife on him when police officers ordered him to drop his weapon.

"My friends … got into an altercation," the eyewitness told WISN 12 News.

"One had, maybe a four-inch blade, the police were up in the thing, they came out, told him to drop the knife, drop the knife, and he turned around because he didn't realize they were there … and when he turned back around, they shot him … to me that was murder, I just witnessed a murder by the police," the eyewitness said.

Other eyewitnesses said Sharpe was experiencing a mental health crisis, and alleged multiple police officers were involved with the shooting, while others said Sharpe refused to drop the knife.

A group of community activists gathered at King Park, outraged that officers from outside were involved in the shooting. The Fraternal Order of Police President Brian Steel, confirmed Columbus Police Department officers were involved in the shooting.

Alan Chavoya from the Milwaukee Alliance Against Racist & Political Repression told reporters the group had "warned" the city, Milwaukee Chief of Police Jeffrey Norman, and other officials, that "outside agitators" coming into the city for the convention, would cause a problem.

Fox News also reported a 21-year-old man was arrested wearing a ski mask and carrying an AK-47 pistol blocks away from the RNC event. The man was discovered by Homeland Security investigators and Capitol Police during a security sweep. As of this writing, charges were still pending.