RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — A Virginia man who was fatally shot after authorities said he threatened an officer with an ax had a criminal record.

Twenty-three-year-old Alexander Schoessel was killed in downtown Richmond Tuesday after officers said he refused to drop an ax and a long knife.

Schoessel’s mother, Richelle Tucker, described her son to The Associated Press as a “sweet, gentle young man” who had what she called “mental issues” in the past.

Court records show Schoessel was charged in 2014 with felony assault on a law enforcement person, and later convicted of misdemeanor obstruction of justice.

Schoessel also had several misdemeanor convictions, including public intoxication and petty theft.