Officer-Involved Shooting Stirs Debate

Witnesses are disagreeing over whether a 19-year-old Ealsey man truly presented a threat to Greenville police officers when they shot him to death in downtown Greenville early Sunday morning, WYFF reports. 

According to the Greenville Police Department, Senovio "Novi" Maldonado was beating another man with a baseball bat on Brown Street when he was confronted by two police officers. Maldonado then allegedly charged at police with the bat and the two officers fired at him. 

One of the friends of the man being beaten confirmed the GPD's version of events, but a friend of Maldonado, Heather Dalton, said she was with him when officers fired and she did not see Maldonado charge at the officers.

She said after three people crossed the street in front of their car, one of them said something to Maldonado. Dalton said Maldonado stopped the car, got out and grabbed a bat to protect himself.