Two Evansville police officers shot a man Tuesday afternoon when police claim he reached for a firearm he had inside his vehicle.
The man was taken to the hospital and was conscious, EPD spokeswoman Sgt. Anna Gray said. Police haven’t released the man’s name, and Gray said he likely won’t be publicly identified until he’s released from the hospital.
According to Gray, the officers were driving in the 1500 block of East Indiana Street when they recognized the man and realized he had a warrant out for his arrest.
“He was standing out in the street near a vehicle. They got out and approached him, gave him commands, he would not follow commands,” she said on the scene of the shooting. “He reached down inside the vehicle; he had a firearm.”
Gray said both officers fired their weapons. They will be placed on administrative leave, which is EPD protocol.
Tuesday’s incident marked the fourth law-enforcement-involved shooting of 2023.
Ronald Ray Mosley II, 25, was shot and killed by police after he opened fire at the West Side Walmart on Jan. 19. Police shot and killed 37-year-old Gary Deal Youngblood on March 20 after an hourslong standoff. Less than a month later, Vanderburgh County Sheriff deputies shot and killed 49-year-old Steven Howard Goldstein after a standoff on April 12.
Gray said EPD planned to have a news conference to discuss Tuesday’s shooting, but didn’t say when as of Tuesday afternoon.