A 26-year-old knife-wielding man was shot and killed by police in Winnipeg after they failed to subdue him with a Taser, officials say.

Police responded to calls of a possible disturbance around 5:15 Saturday morning in the 700 block of Simcoe Street in the west part of the city.

When officers arrived, they confronted a man brandishing a knife, said police spokeswoman Const. Jacqueline Chaput.

She said police requested that he put down his weapon.

"Information of course is preliminary, but it does appear he did not comply with the request, the electronic control device was deployed, that didn't work and they had to escalate to a higher level of force," Chaput said.

She said the officer shot the man as a last resort. He was taken to hospital, but died later.

At least two officers were being placed on administrative leave.