Joe Torres, who had been married to John Ebberts for three years, holds up a picture of the two of them that is engraved on his wallet.

John Ebberts had a mental illness, but was friendly and nice to others when he was taking his medication, his spouse and neighbors said Tuesday.

Ebberts, 35, of Butler, stopped taking the medication, several people indicated, days before Tuesday, when a city police officer was dispatched at about 7 a.m. to Ebberts’ home on West Jefferson Street because he was acting irrationally.

After the officer encountered Ebberts, a struggle began. Ebberts stabbed the officer multiple times as they fought on the ground, but the officer managed to get to his knees with a knife stuck in his abdomen and fired, killing Ebberts, witnesses said.

There was “no reason for it to go down that way,” said Joe Torres, who had been married to Ebberts for three years. “He was mentally ill. Everybody knew it.”

Torres said Ebberts stopped taking his medication a couple days earlier “because he’s John.”

Torres wears a neck chain with a pendant bearing an etched image of him and Ebberts because “that’s how much I love him.” His wallet has the same image engraved in the leather.

The incident is being investigated by state police. Neither the police nor city officials identified the officer, but said he is 27 years old. The officer was flown to UPMC Presbyterian Hospital in Pittsburgh, where he underwent surgery.

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