LMPD :: Louisville Metro Police Department
IMAGE

Jeffersontown police fatally shoot robbery suspect

IMAGE
PHOTO
PHOTO

A man was fatally shot Tuesday afternoon after police say he pulled out a gun on Jeffersontown officers and they opened fire.

Two Jeffersontown officers shot at the 30-year-old Indiana man, who is accused of attempting to rob a man moments earlier in broad daylight outside a Jimmy John's, said Jeffersontown Police Chief Rick Sanders.

Police said the man held someone at gunpoint demanding valuables just after noon Tuesday in the parking lot of the sandwich shop, 1321 S. Hurstbourne Parkway.

He then fled to the parking lot of a nearby Holiday Inn. When confronted by officers, the suspect did not listen to their commands to stop running and put up his hands, Sanders said.

The suspect reportedly had a semi-automatic weapon in his waistband and was in the process of taking it out when he was shot multiple times, the chief said.

"I'm not sure at exactly what point the shots were fired," Sanders said. "But he was pulling his weapon from his waistband when the shots were fired. I don't know at what position the gun was."

Both officers were unharmed and are now on administrative leave pending the outcome of the internal investigation.

Sanders speculated on the motive of the attempted robbery, noting when his officers attempted to give the man first aid, they saw a syringe loaded with suspected heroin fall out of the man's pocket.

"It makes desperate people do desperate things," Sanders said. "It's a very sad state when you have people so addicted to opioids that they'll do something like this to try and get enough money for their next high."

The man was pronounced dead at 1:30 p.m. at the University of Louisville Hospital. He has not yet been identified by the Jefferson County Coroner.

"This is an unfortunate situation," Sanders said. "No officer ever comes to work wanting to shoot somebody, but they did what they had to do."

The Louisville Metro Police evidence technician unit is helping Jeffersontown Police process the crime scene. Neither officer who fired a weapon was wearing a body camera, though other responding officers were, Sanders said. Surveillance videos from area businesses were also being collected for the investigation.

According to Sanders, the most recent internal investigation into the shooting of a subject by a Jeffersontown police officer was in 2007.

Charisa Calabrese, first assistant at the Jimmy John's, said she was getting into work when she saw the commotion. An employee of four years, Calabrese said she believes the area is safe and there hasn't been any crime problems at the shop.

"It's all you hear about, drugs and violence," she said. "It's really sad."