New Bedford (WBZ Newsroom)  -- New Bedford police say a man who was shot and killed by officers in the city's South End had threatened officers with knives. 

It happened on Ellen Street, located off Brock Avenue Wednesday afternoon.

A police spokesman says the man -- whose name was not immediately released -- refused to drop the weapons when ordered to do so. 

Under department policy, the officers have been placed on administrative leave pending an investigation.