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West Virginia police officer shoots, kills unarmed man who claimed to have gun

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CBS News Pittsburgh Live

A West Virginia police officer fatally shot a man who charged toward him after claiming he had a gun and threatening to blow up a house, authorities said.

The Huntington Police Department identified the man as Ahmad Abdulah, 25, of Detroit. City officials said in a statement Wednesday that the officer is on administrative leave while investigators talk to witnesses and review video.

The encounter occurred Monday when officers responded to a report of an armed man threatening to shoot someone and destroy a home, and the responding officer said Abdulah was hostile toward him and repeated those threats. 

He then immediately charged at the officer, the city statement said, without specifying how many times Abdulah was shot. After the shooting, investigators determined he did not have a gun.

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