Man fatally shot after attacking officers with knife

A man was fatally shot Wednesday evening after attacking police officers with a knife.(Photo: WHAS 11 Kayla Moody)

(SOURCE)  A man was fatally wounded Wednesday night after reportedly charging at two officers with a knife. Louisville Metro Police Department Chief Steve Conrad said the officers shot the man multiple times.

The incident happened shortly before 11:30 p.m. outside the Bader’s Food Mart and Shell station at 1st and Jefferson streets. Conrad said the two officers involved in the shooting were among a group of officers with LMPD’s Operation Trust task force that had stopped at the gas station on their break. The officers were both dressed in plain clothes, but were wearing vests that clearly said “police” on the front and back, said Conrad.

“There was no question that they were police officers,” added Conrad, who watched surveillance of the incident.

Conrad said a white male, believed to be in his twenties, walked past the two officers and said something to them. He was not able to say what the man said to the officers, or specify if the comment was threatening in nature. The officers noticed the man was armed with a knife, said Conrad.

Seconds later LMPD said the man swung the knife toward the officers. Conrad said the officers pulled out their guns and retreated as the man charged at the officers with the knife. The two officers fired their guns, shooting the man multiple times.

LMPD said the several other officers, who were inside the store during the encounter, came outside and rendered aid to the man but he died at the scene. The coroner has not yet identified the victim.

Conrad said neither of the officers were wearing body cameras, but LMPD has at least one video of the incident from the Real Time Crime Center. He said he believed store surveillance also caught the encounter on camera. LMPD is expected to release video of the incident and the names of the officers involved in the fatal shooting Thursday. Conrad said it was too early to say if the officers’ actions were compliant with department policy.

“I’m not making any conclusions. This matter is under investigation. We are so early in the investigation that it would be irresponsible of me to make any conclusions on whether or not the shooting is justified,” said Conrad.