LMPD :: Louisville Metro Police Department
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Man killed in LMPD officer-involved shooting in Russell neighborhood

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An LMPD officer who shot and killed a suspect early Tuesday said the man pointed a gun at him before he opened fire.

It happened just after midnight after the officer answered a call about a domestic dispute in the parking lot of City View Apartments at Ninth Street and Broadway near Esquire Alley.

Louisville Metro Police Chief Steve Conrad tells WDRB that a man and woman were fighting when the officer -- who was working alone -- arrived. The man reportedly went to his car, retrieved a pistol and pointed it at the officer. That's when the officer shot and killed the suspect.

During a news conference late Tuesday morning, Conrad expressed his condolences and said "no one wanted this outcome." Conrad says it is early in the investigation, so he does not know how many shots the officer fired, but says the man did not fire at the officer.

Conrad told the media that a second 911 call was made before the shooting by someone who was concerned for the safety of the man's fiancee. That caller told dispatchers that the suspect had tried to kill the woman before.

Family members say the victim worked two jobs to support his five children.

The officer has not yet been identified, but has been with the department about three years.

The LMPD pubic integrity unit is investigating the case, and the officer has placed on paid administrative leave, which is standard procedure whenever an officer fires his weapon.