One person was shot during a police encounter in New Brunswick Friday afternoon, according to the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office.

The shooting happened near Route 27 and Mitchell Avenue just after 2 p.m.

Officials say that officers were called to the area for reports that there was a man armed with a knife. They say the officers tried to de-escalate the situation, but the man allegedly lunged at the officers and was shot.

Authorities did not identify the man. They say that he is in stable condition at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital.

Residents in the area say that police officers could have handled the situation better and that this was not the first time they had interacted with this man. They also allege that the man who was shot was treated differently because of his race. The victim is Black.

“I don’t see things being treated equal. I say it’s all about the color of the skin when it comes to Mayor Jim Cahill and the New Brunswick Police Department,” says neighbor Danielle Moore. “I hope that the police department will go through a change but like I said, I’m just seeing too much racism.”

Moore claims that the man who was shot may have been suffering from a mental health issue.