Kentucky man shot when police try to serve murder warrant

Published 11:11 pm Wednesday, July 28, 2021

A man accused of murder was shot and wounded Wednesday in Kentucky when police and the U.S. Marshals Service were serving a warrant, police said.

Police don’t know whether the Lexington police officer or marshal shot the suspect, said Sgt. Donnell Gordon of Lexington police.

The man was treated at the scene by officers and taken to a hospital. He was in stable condition.

The shooting happened shortly after 10 a.m. as law enforcement tried to serve the 31-year-old man, Police Chief Lawrence Weathers told news outlets. He said he wasn’t sure how many times the man was shot. The man’s name wasn’t released.

Weathers wouldn’t say whether the man was armed or comment on whether he fired first. He said it appeared his officer followed the department’s use-of-force protocols but added the investigation is in a preliminary stage.

Details about the case in which the man was charged were not released. Weathers said the man was charged with the murder warrant after the shooting and also charged with possessing a gun as a convicted felon.

The name of the officer who fired at the suspect hasn’t been released. He is on paid administrative assignment, standard practice for officers involved in shootings, Weathers said.

State police and the Lexington police Public Integrity Unit are investigating.