UPDATE: Suspect shot by police out of hospital, now jailed

LEXINGTON, Ky. (WTVQ) – A man who was shot by a Lexington Police officer is out of the hospital and now in jail, according to investigators.

Police say 26-year-old Darion Worfolk was shot in the hip by Officer Miller Owens after a short foot chase on Friday, July 31, 2020.

The incident was captured on Miller’s body camera.  Both Lexington Police and Kentucky State Police said the footage would be released, but as of this writing had not been done.  An Urban County Council member called for the footage to be released publicly immediately.

Police say it all began when officers were called to the area of Fifth and Chestnut streets  following a report of a man standing in the street with the gun around 1:40 a.m.

State Police say it was Worfolk with the gun and that he refused to drop it after repeated commands to do so by Officer Owens, who has been with the department since March 2017. Investigators say then came the brief chase and shooting.

Lexington Police Chief Lawrence Weathers has said it appears Officer Owens followed department protocol. The Kentucky State Police’s Critical Incident Response Team is investigating the incident. The unit investigates all officer-involved shootings statewide.

The Lexington Police Department’s Public Integrity Unit will conduct its own internal investigation. Officer Owens was placed on administrative duty while the investigation is conducted.

When Worfolk was booked into jail on Tuesday, he was charged with trafficking cocaine, menacing, fleeing from police and being a felon in possession of a handgun, according to police and jail records.