Man shot reaching for gun, police say
A person who was fatally shot by officers outside a Little Rock hotel just off Interstate 30 on Monday reached toward his waistband for a handgun, police said Tuesday morning.
Little Rock Police Chief Heath Helton provided the details during a news conference at department headquarters.
Officers responded to a shots fired call at the Days Inn at 8219 I-30, just after 3 p.m., Helton said. A caller told police that as many as five shots were fired and that a man involved in the gunfire left in a vehicle. The caller also reported seeing another man with a handgun behind the hotel, according to the chief.
Another caller told police they saw the man shoot into a hotel room, which was later determined to be room 110, though police said they didn’t find anybody injured as a result of that gunfire.
When officers arrived at the scene they found a man matching the description in possession of a gun outside the east side of the Rest Inn, 8217 I-30, according to Helton. Police said they approached the man and instructed him to comply with them, but he refused. He reached into his waistband for a handgun.
Two officers shot their service weapons, critically injuring the man. He was taken to an area hospital, where he later died.
Both officers were placed on administrative leave, and the investigation into the shooting and shots fired call remains active, according to police. The officers each had roughly four years’ experience within the department, the chief said.
Helton described Monday’s events as a “tragic incident.”
“These types of incidents are tough on the victims as well as the officers involved,” he said.
Police didn’t immediately release the names of the dead man or the officers who shot him, though Helton said he expects to release the man’s name today.