LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A man is dead after he was shot by a Louisville Metro Police officer in the Highlands neighborhood early Friday.
Numerous police vehicles were in the area of Barret Avenue and Winter Avenue around 8 a.m. Friday. WDRB News reporter Grace Hayba tweeted photos from the scene, and said she saw the body of a male in a parking lot.
BREAKING: There is a large police presence at the intersection of Barrett and Winter near Germantown. I do see a male body in the parking lot and saw an ambulance leave the scene moments ago, empty. @WDRBNews pic.twitter.com/zCKkyV3bc6
— Grace Hayba (@GraceHayba) March 18, 2022
A witness at the scene told WDRB News she was on her way home after dropping her daughter off when she encountered the situation. She said she saw a white male without a shirt, with blood on his face and chest, who appeared to be getting aggressive with officers.
She was unable to see anything else as other officers began arriving.
Manoj Uppal, who owns Barret Liquors, said his surveillance camera captured the incident, and he has offered to let LMPD investigators use it. Uppal said police told him the man had a knife, and he saw the man "jumping" at officers.
Uppal said the footage shows "a guy running from the other side of Oak Street and two police cars chasing him. And they ended up at the cash rental place parking lot. Then they had some altercation ... the guy had something in his hand, which I couldn't tell, but jumping at the officers. And the next thing I know, the guy seemed like he was shot, and was on the floor."
During a brief news conference Friday afternoon, LMPD spokeswoman Alicia Smiley read a prepared statement summarizing the incident:
"About 7:24 this morning, LMPD's 5th Division officers responded to a call of a man with a knife in the area of Barret Avenue. When officers arrived, they located the man armed with a knife and used verbal commands in an attempt to deescalate. Officers attempted to subdue the man using less lethal methods, but it was to no avail.
The subject continued advancing on officers and a single officer discharged his weapon, striking the man. Officers attempted life-saving measures; however, the man was pronounced deceased on scene. No officers were injured."
Smiley said she was unable to respond to questions about the incident, deferring to Kentucky State Police, which will take over the investigation.
It's the second time in two days that an LMPD officer shot a civilian. On Thursday, an armed suspect was shot by officers responding to a report of a woman being robbed and assaulted at a home on Paul Avenue near Churchill Downs. LMPD spokesperson Officer Beth Ruoff said the suspect took "property" from the woman and ran.
As officers closed in on the suspect near two houses, Ruoff said the suspect rolled to the ground, pulled out a gun and pointed it directly at the officer. That's when the officer fired his weapon, hitting the suspect. Ruoff said the suspect was reported as stable at the hospital, but no further details about his condition are available at this time.
Kentucky State Police will handle both shooting investigations.
This story will be updated.
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