Austin police officer placed on leave for fatally shooting suspect

An Austin, Texas, police officer has been placed on administrative leave after fatally shooting a suspect who was trying to flee and appeared to be reaching for a weapon, police said on Monday.

The victim in the weekend shooting was a man in his 60s and police said they had received a complaint that he had been stalking a woman, police said.

"Officers instructed him to go and place his hands behind his back," said Austin Assistant Police Chief Brian Manley.

"At that point, the suspect took off and fled running. As he is running, it can be seen on the officer's in-car camera that he is reaching into the back of his shorts, grabbing for an item," he said.

It is standard procedure for an officer involved in a fatal shooting to be placed on leave pending an investigation, police said.

(Reporting by Jon Herskovitz)