Baltimore protest
Some civilian witnesses said a man was shot in Baltimore by police Monday afternoon, May 4. Police later contradicted that report. Above, demonstrators rally at city hall, May 3, 2015. Reuters/Eric Thayer

A police officer in West Baltimore attempted to arrest a man Monday afternoon when the suspect's gun fell out, hit the ground and discharged, the Baltimore Sun reported. Crowds of onlookers quickly gathered, with pepper spray reportedly being used on at least one person.

Details in previous reports had varied. Some said a man had been shot in the back while running away from police, while others indicated that he had been shot while handcuffed. Reuters reported that Fox News, which initially published an article indicating that a black man had been shot, later changed its report.

Fox News previously reported that its news crew had seen a man get shot in the back by police while he was running away. It later amended its story to say that "conflicting reports" had emerged from the city over whether the police had shot a man.

Early reports from the Baltimore police themselves also indicated that a man had been shot:

The police department later updated its story:
The incident came a week after disturbances in the streets of Baltimore over the death of Freddie Gray, a 25-year-old black man who died after a spinal cord injury apparently sustained in a Baltimore police van.
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