A Madison police officer shot and killed an armed robbery suspect late Wednesday afternoon after the man reportedly struggled with the officer and brandished a weapon.

The man -- whose identity police were not releasing Wednesday night -- died shortly after 5 p.m. at the scene of the shooting near the corner of Lakeside and Whittier streets on the city's South Side. Police said it's likely the man had just robbed the Cousins Subs at 1124 S. Park St., about four blocks away.

According to police, an officer responding to the armed robbery saw a man fitting the robber's description in the 1000 block of Whittier Street. When the officer tried to stop the man, a struggle ensued.

"A weapon was produced and the officer was forced to use deadly force," Chief Noble Wray said.

The robbery was reported at 4:47 p.m., according to the Dane County 911 Center. By 4:53 p.m., an officer was asking for an ambulance for a gunshot victim.

The Dane County District Attorney's office is investigating the shooting, but Wray said it "appears to be justified."

Wray declined to identify the officer Wednesday, but did say he was a patrol officer with the South District and had been on the force for about five years. He said he has been placed on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation.

Wray also declined to say what kind of weapon the suspect displayed, how many shots were fired or where on his body the man was hit.

The man who robbed Cousins reportedly displayed a handgun, police spokesman Joel DeSpain said.

Bill Hoppe, 68, who lives about a block away from the site of the shooting, said he was driving south on Whittier Street just before 5 p.m. on Wednesday when he saw a squad car heading north.

Hoppe said the officer in the car got out and began yelling commands at a man on the sidewalk on the west side of the street, then tried to grab the man from behind. There was a struggle, Hoppe said, and the man broke free and turned around to face the officer before the officer shot him three or four times.

"It looked to me that (the man) had something in his right hand," Hoppe said, "but it happened so fast, I don't know."

Hoppe said the man was about four or five feet away from the officer when he was shot.

Wray said police performed cardiocerebral resuscitation on the man before he was pronounced dead by the Dane County Coroner's office. The officer was treated for minor injuries, police said.

"We train for the worst-case scenarios, hoping beyond hope that the officers would never have to be put in that position," said Sgt. Mike Koval of the Madison Police Department's recruiting and training division.

Koval said officers are trained to use potentially lethal force only when there is an imminent threat of death or great bodily harm to themselves or others.

Officers "don't shoot to kill," but "shoot to stop an ongoing threat," he said.

In such circumstances, officers have to summon up all of their training, skills and judgment in a second or two in a way that is "almost reflexive and on an intuitive level," Koval said.

"As a trainer I'm pleased, because job one is officer safety," he said. "My heart obviously goes out to any of our Madison police officers who have been thrust into this."

MJ Baumann, 47, who has lived in the neighborhood since 1993, said she has always felt safe there and, "If anything, it's gotten better." The only major change is that there are more children living in the area now.

"We joke that it's the best-kept secret in Madison," she said.

Ald. Julia Kerr, whose 13th District includes the location of the shooting, called the incident "totally shocking."

There have been no heightened concerns about crime in the area, Kerr said, adding, "I would know about that."

According to State Journal archives, the last fatal shooting by a Madison police officer was on July 15, 2007. Police killed Ronald Brandon, 48, in what may have been an instance of "suicide by cop." Brandon called 911 about a man threatening neighbors with a gun. But the man he described was himself.

When police arrived, he made a threatening gesture with what turned out to be a pellet gun and was shot.

State Journal reporters Sandy Cullen and Ken Singletary contributed to this report.