LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- The family of a man killed by Louisville police last year in the Highlands filed a wrongful death lawsuit against police and the city, claiming the man was mentally ill and aggressive behavior by officers turned the situation deadly.
Riley Stephens of Bowling Green was armed with a knife and advanced at officers before being shot by Louisville Metro Police Officer Malcolm Miller on March 18, 2022, after ignoring verbal commands and attempts to subdue him with "less lethal methods," the department said at the time.
Police said they tried pepper spray and a taser on Stephens before Miller shot and killed him.
A witness at the scene told WDRB News she saw a white man without a shirt, with blood on his face and chest, who appeared to be getting aggressive with officers.
Police said officers attempted life-saving measures, but Stephens died at the scene. No officers were injured.
However, the lawsuit filed this week in U.S. District Court in Louisville on behalf of the family claims Riley was struggling with his mental health and had just been released from the University of Louisville Hospital when officers behaved aggressively after approaching him in a parking lot on Barret Avenue.
"Riley was on the street in obvious distress suffering from a mental/emotional breakdown including cutting himself and bleeding as police arrived," the lawsuit claims.
Instead of recognizing Riley was mentally distressed and trying to deescalate the situation, officers "began yelling loudly ... causing confusion, panic, and chaos for the mentally spiraling man," the suit says. "The encounter quickly escalated to a situation where force would be used."
Attorneys for the family said LMPD officers ignored typical law enforcement standards in dealing with a mentally ill person, such as containing the individual but keeping a safe distance, speaking to him through one officer and trying to calm him down.
The lawsuit is seeking a jury trial and unspecified monetary damages.
Kentucky State Police is investigating the shooting.
The city does not comment on pending litigation.
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