Tweet
Officer Involved Shooting
Police Shooting Suspect Dies From Injuries
LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- A man who was shot by Louisville police officers has died from his injuries.
The shooting happened shortly before 9 p.m. Thursday at the corner of 28th and Garland streets, NewsChannel 32 reported.
Police said they responded to a convenience store parking lot where a man was reportedly living out of his car, NewsChannel 32's Amy Wagner reported.
Police said the man became aggressive and backup had to be called.
The man allegedly cut an officer with a cane and holed himself up in his car, Wagner reported.
Police said they tried to use pepper spray and Mace to subdue the suspect, but neither worked.
The shots were fired after the suspect reportedly pointed what police initially thought was a rifle at one of the officers, Wagner reported. The weapon turned out to be a BB gun.
"The tragedy to this, and I will tell you the tragedy to this is that the weapon was later determined to be a BB rifle, is that nobody knew at the time," Louisville Police Chief Greg Smith (pictured, right) said. "Nobody could tell. I looked at it and thought it was a .22 rifle, but it was a tragedy."
One eyewitness even disputes the presence of the BB gun.
"Nobody never seen a gun," Jeffrey Warner told Wagner. "Never saw a gun. He never pulled a gun out. All he had was that cane."
Nonetheless, Smith described the scene.
"The officers and civilians have both told us that they saw this person raise a rifle," he said. "The officers warned the person to drop the gun. He raised it. (The officers) fired. They stopped shooting, and he raised it a second time. They fired a second time."
Police have not released the name of the man who died, nor of the officers involved in the shooting. The suspect has been described only described as a black man in his late 20s or early 30s, Wagner reported.
Police said that the two officers who fired shots were placed on administrative leave until the investigation is finished. Smith said that those officers are in their 20s and relatively new to the force, Wagner reported.
Members of the Louisville Police Crisis Intervention Team were at the scene Thursday night.
More than 30 LPD officers have been trained on how to recognize mental problems, and how to defuse potentially volatile situations peacefully.
The Crisis Intervention Team was introduced back in February.
The recommendation followed the police shooting of a mentally ill man in Chickasaw Park.
Officers were cleared of wrongdoing in that incident.
Smith said that in addition to the criminal investigation, he has ordered a professional standards probe into Thursday's incident.
Investigators said that the man who was shot has a violent history which includes armed robbery, drug charges and assaulting a police officer.
Smith said that based on what he knows, the officers involved in the shooting did everything by the book.
~~~~~~~~~~
I hope these officers get cleared; BB Guns/Rifles look real enough to be passed on as real weapons. Obviously they felt their lives were in danger.![[Frown]](frown.gif)
LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- A man who was shot by Louisville police officers has died from his injuries.
The shooting happened shortly before 9 p.m. Thursday at the corner of 28th and Garland streets, NewsChannel 32 reported.
Police said they responded to a convenience store parking lot where a man was reportedly living out of his car, NewsChannel 32's Amy Wagner reported.
Police said the man became aggressive and backup had to be called.
The man allegedly cut an officer with a cane and holed himself up in his car, Wagner reported.
Police said they tried to use pepper spray and Mace to subdue the suspect, but neither worked.
The shots were fired after the suspect reportedly pointed what police initially thought was a rifle at one of the officers, Wagner reported. The weapon turned out to be a BB gun.
"The tragedy to this, and I will tell you the tragedy to this is that the weapon was later determined to be a BB rifle, is that nobody knew at the time," Louisville Police Chief Greg Smith (pictured, right) said. "Nobody could tell. I looked at it and thought it was a .22 rifle, but it was a tragedy."
One eyewitness even disputes the presence of the BB gun.
"Nobody never seen a gun," Jeffrey Warner told Wagner. "Never saw a gun. He never pulled a gun out. All he had was that cane."
Nonetheless, Smith described the scene.
"The officers and civilians have both told us that they saw this person raise a rifle," he said. "The officers warned the person to drop the gun. He raised it. (The officers) fired. They stopped shooting, and he raised it a second time. They fired a second time."
Police have not released the name of the man who died, nor of the officers involved in the shooting. The suspect has been described only described as a black man in his late 20s or early 30s, Wagner reported.
Police said that the two officers who fired shots were placed on administrative leave until the investigation is finished. Smith said that those officers are in their 20s and relatively new to the force, Wagner reported.
Members of the Louisville Police Crisis Intervention Team were at the scene Thursday night.
More than 30 LPD officers have been trained on how to recognize mental problems, and how to defuse potentially volatile situations peacefully.
The Crisis Intervention Team was introduced back in February.
The recommendation followed the police shooting of a mentally ill man in Chickasaw Park.
Officers were cleared of wrongdoing in that incident.
Smith said that in addition to the criminal investigation, he has ordered a professional standards probe into Thursday's incident.
Investigators said that the man who was shot has a violent history which includes armed robbery, drug charges and assaulting a police officer.
Smith said that based on what he knows, the officers involved in the shooting did everything by the book.
~~~~~~~~~~
I hope these officers get cleared; BB Guns/Rifles look real enough to be passed on as real weapons. Obviously they felt their lives were in danger.
Comment