CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — A Charleston, West Virginia, police officer fatally shot a man suspected of trespassing on Wednesday after police said the man became violent.
Officers were investigating a trespassing complaint at around 1 p.m. when they encountered William E. Henry Jr., according to a statement from Charleston Police Chief James “Tyke” Hunt.
Henry, 43, armed himself with a pipe and advanced on an officer, according to Hunt. Henry then “fought through a taser deployment” and struck the officer in the head with the pipe, according to police.
The officer then shot Henry. Officers at the scene rendered first aid but Henry was pronounced dead at the hospital, according to Hunt.
The Charleston Police Department will submit its findings to the Kanawha County Prosecutor’s Office for review. The officer who shot Henry will be placed on leave pending the prosecutor’s preliminary findings. Hunt did not identify the officer.