Officers in Charleston shooting placed on leave

CHARLESTON, Mo. -- The officers involved in the Tuesday fatal shooting of a Charleston man have been placed on paid administrative leave.

The law enforcement officers were placed on leave pending the outcome of the investigation of the death of Murry Lee Asberry, 34, who was fatally shot while confronting them with a knife.

The leave is standard procedure, according to trooper Clark D. Parrott, public information officer for the Missouri State Highway Patrol. The number of officers and their identities have not been released by the patrol.

The incident began just after 3 p.m. Tuesday when the Charleston Police Department received a report of a mentally disturbed man. The officer said when a police cruiser came near Asberry, the man threw a rock, breaking the vehicle's spotlight and windshield.

Asberry then reportedly fled into a house near the intersection of South Locust and West Market streets. Parrott said Asberry had a sword when he ran out from the house. The man swung the sword at Charleston police chief Robert E. Hearnes Jr., who managed to deflect it, Asberry said. Charleston police officers used a Taser on Asberry twice. Parrott said Asberry stood back up and made an aggressive move toward the officers, at which time he was shot.

The patrol's Division of Drug and Crime Control is investigating the shooting at the request of the Charleston Department of Public Safety. On completion of the investigation, Parrott said the final report will be provided to the Mississippi County prosecuting attorney.

Pertinent address:

Charleston, MO