Police shoot and kill man in foot chase, say he had gun

GREENVILLE, Miss. – A man was fatally shot by authorities during a foot chase in the Mississippi Delta.

The Delta Democrat-Times reports Greenville police say the man aimed a gun at them after running away on Friday afternoon.

Assistant Police Chief Michael Merchant says officers then shot the man. He died at a hospital. His name was not released.

No one else was injured. Police aren’t releasing names of the officers involved. The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation has been asked to lead the inquiry into the incident.

Merchant says officers were responding to reports of gunfire.

A grand jury declined to indict five Greenville officers who shot a man in 2017. Officers said Ronnie Lee “Pie” Shorter walked out his front door and fired a handgun at officers. Shorter died after being shot five times.