Early Wednesday morning, two Elkhart police officers fatally shot a man in the Big Lots Parking lot off Hively Avenue.
Elkhart Police Department spokesperson Jessica McBrier said shortly after 5:25 a.m., officers responded to a report of a man throwing a bicycle at the window of the Hand Spot Liquors on Hively Avenue.
She said officers found the man in the Big Lots parking lot shortly after 5:30 a.m. and attempted to engage the man. During the encounter, two officers fired their weapons, striking the man. He was declared dead at the scene.
McBrier said a gun was found on the man, but it’s not clear yet if he fired the weapon or pointed it at the officers.
She said the Elkhart County Homicide Unit has taken over the investigation, and the two officers will be placed on paid administrative leave pending the investigation’s results.
The names of the two officers and the victim have yet to be released.
This is the second time in the last six months that the Elkhart Police have shot and killed someone – in August, an Elkhart Police sergeant shot and killed a 19-year-old while responding to another fatal shooting.
Following an investigation, the Elkhart County Prosecutor’s Office declared the shooting justified in November.
Contact Gemma atgdicarlo@wvpe.orgor follow her on Twitter at@gemma_dicarlo.
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