[chris]

A 31-year-old former Marine was shot and killed by police in Cary, North Carolina, in September 2008 after his fiancee called 911 for help during a suicidal breakdown and he grabbed what looked like a handgun that was later found to be a BB gun.

The woman reached a dispatcher in the early morning hours and said her fiance had been drinking and had come apart. She said he was screaming that he hated himself and wanted to die, and was striking himself in the head.

She told the dispatcher that her roommate and one of his friends were holding him down to stop him from hurting himself. Asked whether he had a weapon, she said there was nothing in the home but "utensils and stuff."

The dispatcher stayed on the line, took down the man's age and condition, and told the woman to keep her distance and protect herself until officers arrived. The recording ends as police reach the house and she unlocks the front door to let them in.

Officers got to the home around 4 a.m. and spoke with the man. At some point, he ran into the kitchen and grabbed what looked like a handgun, and police opened fire, according to accounts of the shooting.

The man died of his injuries. The 911 recording was later released and has circulated in emergency-dispatch reference collections as an example of a crisis call.