Coroner identifies 21-year-old man killed in police shootout

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) — Officials in Alabama have identified a man who police fatally shot after authorities said he fired at them multiple times.

The Jefferson County Coroner’s Office identified the man Thursday as Eusi Malik Kater Jr., 21.

The Birmingham Police Department's south precinct was called to a neighborhood around 2 p.m. Wednesday due to reports of shots fired, Sgt. Rod Mauldin said, according to AL.com.

When officers arrived they encountered a suspect, later identified as Kater, who ran away and fired several shots, Mauldin said. Kater was accused of climbing onto a porch and firing at officers again.

The sergeant said that as officers attempted to deescalate the situation, additional shots were fired. Officers returned fire, striking Kater. He was taken to a hospital where he later died, police said. No officers were injured.

Mauldin said a handgun was recovered at the scene.

Authorities did not immediately release the identities of the officers involved in the shooting.

Kater was released from prison in 2020 following a 2018 conviction for unlawful breaking and entering a vehicle, news outlets reported.

The State Bureau of Investigation was reviewing the shooting.