CINCINNATI: Cincinnati police shot and killed a robbery suspect on a downtown square early Sunday, in the department’s third fatal encounter with a suspect this year.
The man was shot on Government Square around 7:40 a.m., according to local media reports.
The suspect, who was not immediately identified, is reported to have held a knife to the throat of a security guard while robbing a grocery store on Vine Street earlier in the morning. Police tracked him to bus stops on East Fifth Street, where they say he pulled a knife on officers before he was shot.
The square was blocked and bus routes were temporarily detoured.
WLWT-TV reported citizens gathered to question police about what happened, one repeatedly saying, “Enough is enough.”
The officer who shot the man will be placed on leave during an internal investigation, as is department protocol.
Daniel Hills, local president of the Fraternal Order of Police, told the station, “It’s very, very traumatic for our officers. No policeman came on this job wanting to be involved in something like this.”
Witnesses said the man was possibly homeless and appeared to be intoxicated.