LOUISVILLE, Ky. — A man was shot and wounded after police say he fired a revolver at an officer during an early-morning incident in Louisville, Kentucky. Louisville police said 20-year-old Elijah Eubanks was in stable condition Saturday at University of Louisville Hospital. Neither officer was injured.
It happened around 1 a.m. Saturday at an apartment complex. Louisville Metro Police body camera footage, released Saturday, shows the officers talking to several people in a car. As the officers repeatedly ask a passenger to exit, he asks why he’s being harassed.
As an officer opened the car door, police say the man fired a shot at him. Police say both officers fired back. Multiple shots are heard on the video.
Police Maj. Frank Hardison, commander of the department’s special investigations division, said a revolver was recovered from the scene
At a Saturday afternoon news conference, Hardison said the officers were responding to a report of an “occupied, suspicious” vehicle that was called in by a “courtesy officer” — a city police officer who lives in the complex and provides security there.
In the body camera footage, an officer identified as Ian Stuart tells the car’s driver to exit, while the other officer, Eric Goldschmidt, approaches the passenger side where Eubanks is seated.
The officers repeatedly ask Eubanks to exit, but he doesn’t.
“Why are you harassing me, sir?” Eubanks asks Goldschmidt.
“We had a call of suspicious individuals, nobody recognized in this car,” Goldschmidt replies
“This is her house,” Eubanks responds, gesturing to an unidentified person in the backseat. “This is his mom’s car.”
After more back-and-forth, Goldschmidt goes to the passenger door. As it opens, footage shows Eubanks bringing up one hand and pointing it in the officer’s direction. Although his hand is in shadows, he appears to be holding something dark.
Goldschmidt immediately shouts, “Gun! Gun, gun, gun!” as multiple shots ring out.
Police Chief Steve Conrad said the video was released quickly because it’s imperative for the department to be “a model of transparency.”
The shooting came two days after an off-duty police officer in Hopkinsville, Kentucky, was shot and killed. The suspect in that case was found and killed Friday by law enforcement officials in Tennessee.
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