DETROIT (AP) — Video released by Detroit police show a young man appearing to shoot at an officer at close range Friday before fellow officers opened fire, killing the suspect.

Police Chief James Craig told reporters as he released the video Friday evening that the suspect he identified as 20-year-old Hakeem Littleton was no more than 3 feet away when he began shooting.

“It’s simply a miracle he wasn’t struck in the head,” Craig said about the officer.

Hours earlier, dozens of protesters converged at the site of the shooting on Detroit’s west side, yelling at police and chanting “Black Lives Matter” and “Defund DPD!”

Craig said he wanted to released the videos promptly because of what he described as rumors about the shooting, which he said included erroneous social media postings that Littleton had been unarmed.

The shooting occurred about 12:30 p.m. as officers were investigating a Fourth of July block party shooting.