Man Killed After Swinging Flag Pole At Police Officer, Video Shows

A police officer fatally shot a man who was swinging a flag pole at the officer in an incident in Louisville, Kentucky. Store surveillance video obtained by WHAS-TV, Louisville, from a nearby smoke shop appears to show the situation play out.

The video shows a man wildly swinging a pole at a Louisville Metro Police officer but does not show the officer firing his weapon. The incident began when police responded to a call about an assault on a woman Saturday,​ the Associated Press reported. The video shows the officer speaking with the man, who then walks away seemingly agitated. The officer, after taking a few steps toward the man, later draws his weapon while the man comes back into the video's frame, advancing toward the officer as he swings the flag pole. WHAS reported the officer was struck by the pole and the flag pole broke. The man was shot twice and taken by ambulance to University of Louisville Hospital where he later died, the AP reported.

Neither the police officer nor the man involved in the incident have yet been identified. Police Chief Steve Conrad said the officer, who is on administrative leave, acted in self-defense.

"At this point our Public Integrity Unit is conducting their investigation," Conrad said, according to WHAS. "Our officer will be placed on administrative leave. That is normal protocol."

The Associated Press reported the man who was killed was known in the area and activists were planning a meeting Sunday to discuss the incident. People in the neighborhood reportedly questioned why deadly force was used instead of a stun-gun or another non-lethal option.

The 22-year-old woman who was assaulted was treated at a hospital and released, the AP reported, adding police did not disclose if there was any relationship between her and the man.