Video, photos show man shot by Cleveland officer had a gun

CLEVELAND (AP) — Cleveland has released body camera footage showing an officer fatally shooting a man who had pulled a gun from his waistband after a short foot chase.

The shooting occurred Thursday morning on the city’s east side. The man killed has been identified as Innes Lee Jr., 25, of Cleveland. The Cleveland homicide unit issued a murder warrant for Lee in October.

Frame grabs from the video released Thursday evening clearly show a gun in Lee’s hand when he was shot.

Police were called to the neighborhood where Lee was killed around 4 a.m. Thursday after receiving a call about a man causing trouble. Lee was not located at the time, authorities said.

Officers returned around four hours later and spotted Lee. The body camera video shows Lee running into a backyard surrounded by a high fence. The officer orders Lee to stop, and then tells him, “Drop, do not reach for (expletive)” as Lee pulls a gun from his waistband, prompting the officer to fire four rounds, the video shows.

The name of the officer, a 10-year veteran, has not been released by police officials.