Surveillance Video Shows Man Fatally Shot After Charging, Swinging Flagpole at Cop

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — A store surveillance video obtained by a Kentucky television station shows a man violently swinging a flagpole at a Louisville Metro Police officer before police say the officer fatally shot him.

Image source: WHAS-TV

Police said the officer responded to an assault call Saturday in Old Louisville, a neighborhood near downtown Louisville. The video WHAS-TV said it got from a nearby smoke shop shows the officer talking briefly with the man, who seems to become agitated and walks away from the officer.

Image source: WHAS-TV

Image source: WHAS-TV

The coroner's office on Sunday identified the man as 35-year-old Deng Manyoun, according to the TV station.

Police Chief Steve Conrad said at a news conference on Sunday that he couldn't provide the name of the man killed, but identified the officer as Nathan Blanford, a 10-year veteran. Blanford has been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of an inquiry by the Police Department's Public Integrity Unit.

The video, which was broken down into segments, shows the officer take a few steps forward, pull his gun and appear to call for backup before the man advances toward him swinging the flag pole. At one point the flag pole breaks.

Image source: WHAS-TV

Image source: WHAS-TV

Image source: WHAS-TV

Image source: WHAS-TV

The video shows the officer pointing his gun at the man, but doesn't show him firing.

Police said the officer fired two shots in self-defense.

Image source: WHAS-TV

Conrad told reporters at the news conference that he believes the officer felt his life was in danger, which gave him the option to use deadly force under department policy.

"I don't think the officer had an opportunity to transition to a less lethal option," Conrad said.

Manyoun was taken by ambulance to the University of Louisville Hospital, where he later died.

Kenneth Williams said on the WHAS report that he witnessed the shooting and believes the use of deadly force was unnecessary.

"He could have maced him," Williams said in the video. "He could have used his stun gun."

Witnesses said Manyoun seemed intoxicated. He appeared to stumble when the officer was talking to him in the video.

Manyoun's arrest record shows a number of alcohol-related offenses dating back to 2008, WHAS reports. Before Saturday, Manyoun was arrested on June 2 for disorderly conduct, but released the following day.

The shooting has stirred emotions in the community, where neighbors said the man was known to residents. The Courier-Journal in Louisville reported that local activists planned a meeting Sunday to discuss the shooting.

Nick Holiday told The Associated Press on Saturday that he knew the man well and that he lived in an apartment building not far from the shooting site. Holiday, and others who had gathered at the intersection Saturday evening, questioned why the officer resorted to deadly force when faced with a flagpole, rather than use a Taser or other non-lethal means. They called for a quick and transparent investigation.

The 22-year-old woman who was assaulted was treated for her injuries at a hospital and released. Police did not disclose the nature of any relationship between her and the man.

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