Robbery suspect shot after pointing gun at officer near Churchill Downs

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WAVE) - Investigation is underway after an officer-involved shooting occurred in the Taylor Berry neighborhood near Churchill Downs on Thursday afternoon.

Officers were called to the 1400 block of Paul Avenue just before 4 p.m. on Thursday on an initial report of a robbery, LMPD spokeswoman Beth Ruoff confirmed.

Police said a man in his 40s allegedly hit a woman and stole from her before fleeing the scene. Ruoff said the suspect was later found running near the 1400 block of Clara Avenue.

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Ruoff said as police tried to detain the suspect between two houses, the suspect rolled over on the ground and then pointed a gun directly toward an officer.

One officer fired his gun, which hit the suspect. Police then tended to the suspect’s injuries while EMS arrived and sent him to University Hospital.

Ruoff said the suspect is now in stable condition.

One neighbor said the incident was so close, it sounded like it was happening in her house.

“It sounded like it was in my basement, because they were right next to the bottom of the house when they shot,” the woman said. “They were yelling. They were telling him to get down. And then I heard ‘Pow! Pow! Pow!’ Three times.”

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Taylor Berry Neighborhood Association President Christine Schneider said the shooting fuels ongoing conversations about safety.

“It really makes you think,” Schneider said. “Do I want to stay here? Do I want to move to another part of town? Do I want to move to another state? We’ve got people that are saying I’m out of Louisville period. I’m going somewhere else.”

Kentucky State Police is handling the ongoing investigation, in accordance with standard police procedure with officer-involved shootings in the commonwealth.

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