A SWAT standoff in Louisville’s Smoketown neighborhood has ended with one person in custody after a man was shot to death late Saturday morning.
John Bradley, a spokesman for the Louisville Metro Police Department, said officers responded on a reported shooting in the 700 block of South Preston Street around 11 a.m.
Police found a man who had been fatally shot. The Jefferson County Coroner’s Office identified that man as Michael Evans, 70, just before 5 p.m. Saturday.
It was a crime scene that stretched for two blocks.
Derrick Allison lives in the Smoketown neighborhood and says he knows the victim who died.
Allison said, “Said he got shot, that’s all I know. Someone called the police.” He said, “It was a Black guy and he had a pit bull and he usually walked the pit bull around.”
An investigation revealed a possible suspect entered a home in the 900 block of South Preston Street.
LMPD said officers secured the home and asked LMPD’s SWAT team for support.
Bradley said in an update at 5:19 p.m. that a “person of interest” had been taken into custody from the home and SWAT had been cleared. Police say the man was first taken to the hospital.
That person’s name has not yet been released. It’s also unclear what charges they might be facing.
Bradley said investigators believe “all parties” in the incident are accounted for.
Bradley said, “Any time you have situation where the weather decides to move in, that’s always a challenge for our investigators. Some things, I don’t want to say rushed… but have to be accelerated a bit, is the extent of this scene is a couple blocks long, so managing that area becomes a challenge.”
As far as the victim, Allison said, “It’s very sad story. I don’t want to same more about the victim. He’s a cool guy. He’s alright.”
The 900 block of South Preston has also reopened to traffic.
This story may be updated.
Credit: Valerie Chinn – WDRB-TV/Louisville
