Chief: Cincinnati shooting appears 'appropriate'

CINCINNATI, Ohio (CNN) -- Cincinnati's police chief said the white police officer who shot and killed a shotgun-wielding black man early Friday appeared to have used his firearm in an "appropriate" and "legitimate" manner and said he acted bravely in a dangerous situation.

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Officer Thomas Haas went "above and beyond the call of duty," said Police Chief Thomas Streicher said a press conference Friday. "He allowed himself to be placed in harm's way three different times."

It was the first fatal shooting by a Cincinnati police officer since an incident three months ago that sparked four days of violent protests.

The victim has been identified by police as Ricky Moore, 21, of the Roselawn neighborhood of Cincinnati. The officer a beat patrolman in District 3, is a nine-year veteran of the force.

Police Lt. John Gallespie, acting commander of District 3, said the incident took place just after midnight Friday in the Millvale neighborhood.

Haas responded to the second call of the evening of a man with a gun, the earlier report coming in at 10 p.m. Thursday and another report of shots fired after 11 p.m.. There had been reports of shots in the neighborhood twice this week and on July 9, Gallespie said.

Haas, 33, encountered Moore on a stretch of Beekman Street, in a poor black neighborhood. Gallespie said there is a community center in the area and "Section 8 type housing" not too far away.

"At that point shots were exchanged between the officer and Mr. Moore," Gallespie said.

Officer Scotty Johnson of the Sentinel Police Association, which represents black officers in Cincinnati, said details are "sketchy" about the incident.

But Johnson said, "It does appear that this suspect opened fire first at Officer Haas and Officer Haas returned fire. Unfortunately, somebody is dead as a result of pointing a gun and firing at the police."

Gallespie said a rescue unit was called and Moore was transported to University Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Gallespie did not know how far the men were standing from each other and where the shots struck Moore. The hospital would only confirm the victim's age, race, and time he was pronounced dead, around 12:30 a.m. EDT.

Police recovered a 12-gauge pump shotgun with a pistol grip and are trying to determine its ownership.

Gallespie said Moore has a police record, four felony convictions, five misdemeanors and two outstanding traffic warrants. The felonies are possession of drugs and three counts of trafficking in drugs. The misdemeanors are criminal damaging, obstructing official business, disorderly conduct and two counts of criminal trespass.

Gallespie could not confirm Moore's mother statement in a television interview that her son was "schizophrenic."

As for Haas, this was the second shooting he had been involved in this month. The officer on July 13 was involved in a gunfight with a man police say attempted a robbery in the Over-the-Rhine neighborhood. Many rounds were fired in that exchange but no one was shot. The man Haas chased was arrested and indicted, Gallespie said.

Gallespie said Haas took administrative leave to help out with the investigation of that shooting and is to be placed on administrative leave after his shift ended this morning.

Haas has received 23 commendations for his work through 1998 since he joined the force in 1992, Gallespie said.

Streicher said the chief said the department's policy on use of deadly force is clear.

"There has to be an overt act on the part of the other person before an officer can even engage somebody," Streicher said.

In April, the shooting of Timothy Thomas, also African-American, triggered violent civil discord in the city, where many black residents complain Cincinnati police use tough, unfair and dangerous tactics against minorities, a charge the city's police chief has rejected.

The Justice Department announced this week it will investigate the department to see if there is a pattern or practice of discrimination.

Thomas, 19, was shot as he fled police. He had been sought on 14 misdemeanor charges.

On May 9, Stephen Roach, 27-year-old white police officer, pleaded innocent to misdemeanor charges stemming from the fatal shooting of Thomas.

The not guilty pleas were submitted on behalf of Roach by his attorney, Merlyn Shiverdecker, in Hamilton County Municipal Court. Roach did not appear in court.

A grand jury on May 7 declined to indict Roach on murder or manslaughter charges in the incident.

He was charged with one count of negligent homicide and one count of obstruction of official business. The second charged stemmed from discrepancies in two statements given to police by Roach, according to prosecutors.

Roach's police powers were suspended, Shiverdecker said, but he can return to a desk job after an evaluation by a police psychologist. The lawyer described that as standard procedure.