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Louisville Police Officer Who Threw Beverages
Photo by Kathryn Harrington Photo by Kathryn Harrington

Louisville Metro Police Department officers shot two people, killing one, in the span of less than 16 hours between Thursday afternoon and Friday morning.

On Thursday, LMPD spokesperson Beth Ruoff said officers had shot a man near Churchill Downs after the man had pulled out a handgun and pointed it “directly at” an officer. At around 4 p.m. on Thursday, Ruoff said, officers from LMPD’s 4th division responded to a robbery call in the area about a man who hit a woman and stole her property. An officer found a person matching the description of the suspect several blocks away, but as they tried to detain him, Ruoff said, “the suspect rolled onto the ground and then rolled back over and pulled a handgun, pointing it at the officer — directly at the officer.”

On Thursday, Ruoff said the man was in stable condition.

On Friday morning at around 9 a.m., LMPD confirmed an officer had been involved in a shooting “in the area of Baxter Ave and Winter Ave” in The Highlands but provided no other details.

More than four hours later, LMPD spokesperson Alicia Smiley said that an officer shot and killed a man after officers from LMPD’s 5th division responded to a call about a man with a knife in the area of Barrett Avenue at about 7:24 a.m.

“When officers arrived they located the man armed with the knife and used verbal commands in an attempt to de-escalate,” Smiley said. “Officers attempted to subdue the man using less-lethal methods but it was to no avail. The subject continued advancing on officers and a single officer discharged his weapon striking the man. Officers attempted life saving measures, however the man was pronounced deceased on scene.”

Both investigations are being handled by the Kentucky State Police, which is policy for shootings by LMPD officers. LMPD said they would not comment further on either incident. A KSP spokesperson said they will release a statement after their Critical Incident Response Team conducts required interviews.

Security camera footage obtained by WAVE 3 News of the Highlands shooting appeared to show a shirtless man advancing on multiple officers in the parking lot of U Save Rentals, the business next door to the popular Barret Bar & Grill at the intersection of Barrett and Winter Avenues.

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This article appears in March 16, 2022.

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