The suspect attempted to rob a woman's vehicle in the drive-thru pharmacy lane.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — A Louisville police officer shot and killed an armed suspect after a terrifying incident Wednesday outside a Walmart near the Fairdale neighborhood.
Interim Louisville Metropolitan Police Department (LMPD) Chief Paul Humphrey said Kentucky State Police were pursuing the vehicle, which ended around 12:15 p.m. when the car crashed near the intersection of Outer Loop and New Cut Roads.
KSP told WHAS11 that officers were attempting to stop the vehicle because it had an expired registration, the driver had a suspended license and had an outstanding warrant for his arrest.
Police were able to arrest the driver without incident, but another suspect inside the vehicle jumped out and ran into a nearby Walmart, allegedly with two handguns.
Humphrey said officers found a man inside the store who ran outside and then spotted the woman in the pharmacy's drive-thru, where he got into the passenger seat and “attempted to remove her from the vehicle and possibly kidnap her.”
The interim chief said officers gave multiple verbal commands before firing their weapons, shooting the suspect multiple times. The suspect was taken to University of Louisville Hospital and is expected to survive.
The woman inside the car was unharmed in the shooting, but Humphrey said she was visibly shaken.
“Having someone jump into the passenger seat with a gun was not the kind of day I was expecting when I left my house this morning,” he said. “We are treating this as a very serious situation and our victim services unit is already working with the woman to make sure she is protected.”
Whitney Taylor was shopping at Walmart when she saw police officers walking around the store looking for someone, but there was no panic inside. Then she saw an officer holding yellow police tape.
“We had no idea what was going on until someone came and said, 'Someone's been shot and we're being asked to leave,'” Taylor said. “I just can't believe something like this happened so quickly.”
Beth Ayers was walking to Walmart in a shopping center across the street when she saw a large police presence.
“I didn't really know what was going on, but when I got there I was looking for a sidewalk ramp to get through the police blockade and an officer escorted me inside so I wasn't outside in the heat, but they wouldn't let anyone else in,” Ayers said.
That's when she saw bullet holes in the van and witnessed shots fired by Metro police officers.
“The car was parked there and they shot bullets through the windshield. It was pretty scary,” Ayers said.
She said officers responded quickly and helped her stay safe.
“One of the things I wanted to do was make sure everything was safe,” Ayers said. “I'm in a wheelchair so I can't move very fast. I didn't want to end up in a place where I would have to rush out.”
Humphrey said the Louisiana State Police Professional Integrity Unit (PIU) is investigating the shooting.
“We are very pleased that no one else was injured in this incident,” he added. “We're talking about an armed suspect fleeing from police in a busy Walmart in the middle of the afternoon.”
The officer who fired his weapon was placed on paid administrative leave.
Body camera footage of the shooting is expected to be released within 10 business days.
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