A man who was critically wounded by a police officer Sunday during a Downtown foot pursuit was about to point his gun at the officer when he was shot, police said.

Terrence Allen, 26, of Knoxville, was shot once in the chest at about 6 p.m., and remained in critical condition yesterday at UPMC Presbyterian.

Police said the K-9 officer from the Hill District station was patrolling Downtown in his car, and carrying a picture and description of a man in a red hooded sweat shirt suspected of a series of smash-and-grab burglaries the night before on Cherry Way.

The officer said Mr. Allen matched the description so he asked if he could speak with him, but Mr. Allen immediately began running.

The K-9 officer gave chase near Third Avenue and Wood Street, and during a three-block pursuit he said Mr. Allen pulled a gun and kept running, with the weapon in his right hand.

The officer repeatedly ordered him to drop the gun, police said, with witnesses reportedly overhearing those orders.

With his eye on the gun, police said, the officer deployed his dog, which bit Mr. Allen on the left arm while he still had the gun in his right hand.

The officer again ordered him to drop the weapon. That's when police said Mr. Allen started to "bring the weapon around to point it at the officer," who then fired one shot into Mr. Allen's upper left chest.

In addition to being a suspect in the burglaries, Mr. Allen was wanted on an outstanding homicide warrant in connection with the 2006 shooting of his stepfather in Knoxville.

Police said they found he was carrying suspected narcotics, possibly crack cocaine and marijuana, Sunday. He also had a spare, fully loaded magazine for his gun and a full magazine in the weapon.

Mr. Allen is charged with aggravated assault and possession of a firearm and narcotics.

The officer, whom police have not identified, is on paid administrative leave. The homicide squad is handling the investigation along with investigators from the district attorney's office, which is standard procedure.

The warrant for Mr. Allen's arrest involved a shooting Oct. 10 on Charles Street in which he was originally charged with attempted homicide and aggravated assault against Terrance Williams, 53, who had just been released from prison.

Detectives said Mr. Allen shot Mr. Williams multiple times. Mr. Williams later died of his injuries.

Police said the shooting was the result of a five-year grudge Mr. Allen held against Mr. Williams, whom police said had stabbed him in 2001.

Sunday's incident is the second shooting by a city police officer this year.

On Jan. 31, Sgt. Craig Campbell of the Street Response Unit shot and killed Michael Lee Ghafoor, 22, in Lawrenceville after police said he shook off a police dog and pointed a gun at officers during a foot chase.