Backlash prompts Louisville police chief to apologize for remark about Latasha White case

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Louisville Metro Police Chief Paul Humphrey has apologized to the family of murder victim Latasha White after backlash from community leaders about a statement he made Wednesday morning.

White was found shot to death in the Beuchel neighborhood in May, a week after her family reported her missing. Her boyfriend, Jamie Shelby, was arrested last week for her murder and is being held on a $1 million bond.

Her family and some members of Louisville Metro Council have questioned LMPD's handling of the case, saying they didn't do enough when she was missing and raising concerns about how missing persons cases are prioritized.

LMPD Chief Paul Humphrey addressed some of those criticisms, and stood by the department's investigation, during a bi-weekly news conference Wednesday morning. 

"I can't go into too many details. However, this is a very complicated case," Humphrey said. "There are a lot of moving parts to this case, and I want to make sure that we can get far enough along in the prosecution before we give out some of those more specific details."

However, one comment from Humphrey drew swift backlash from local civil rights leaders: "There was a lot of criticism thrown at LMPD at the onset, but I will tell you that Tasha White's behavior ultimately put her in the position she ended up in." 

Wednesday evening, Louisville Urban League President Lyndon Pryor called the remark “cold, unfeeling, disconnected and frankly a small thing for a person in this position to say.”

Thursday, Humphrey held another news briefing where he acknowledged criticism about his statement that some said hurt the trust he is working to build in the community.

"Yesterday, I used a poor choice of words that did not build that trust," Humphrey said during the briefing. "That being said, I think what you have seen out of me and out of this staff is more transparency, more honesty, more openness about the operations of Louisville Metro Police and about what we're doing than has ever been given. I'm going to misspeak. I think I spoke for 25 or 30 minutes yesterday and I made one bad sentence. Unfortunately, that was an impactful sentence."

Louisville Metro Councilperson Tammy Hawkins, D-District 1, said the chief called her Thursday morning before she was joined by White's family at her own news conference.

"This type of statement made by chief, our chief of police, about a homicide victim suggests that Ms. White's behavior deserved her death. For that I say, absolutely not," Hawkins said.

Although Humphrey said Wednesday he couldn't go into too much detail about the case, he did disclose more information about White's murder on Thursday. He said White was in a romantic relationship with Shelby, and he said at the time of her murder the two were on their way to commit another murder. He also said White was killed with her own gun. The chief said the alleged murder that Shelby and White were on their way to commit did not happen.

“Evidence shows that at the time of her murder, the two were en route together to commit another murder,” Humphrey said. “She was killed using her own gun.”

Humphrey said the last evidence of White being alive was at 2 a.m. on April 29, when she turned off security cameras in her home and turned off her cellphone, which he said is often done to obscure a person's location or movement. Humphrey also said investigators learned that White had purchased dark clothing on the days leading up to April 29. She was reported missing on May 1, and he said she was wearing clothing that she had purchased several days before.

White, 49, was last seen April 27 in the city's Park Hill neighborhood. When she hadn't shown up for work, her employer contacted police on April 30. Her family filed a missing persons report May 1, and by that Friday, an LMPD detective reached out.

Her disappearance had already started circulating social media when WDRB asked LMPD on May 5 if a missing persons report had been filed. The department responded that they had no such report.

White was found dead two days later. On May 7, her body was discovered on the side of Newport Road. She had been shot.

“It was already bad enough they did not give the missing persons report information to any of the news stations,” Hawkins said. “Then you turn around and make a statement such as ‘she put herself in a situation.’ Nobody purposefully puts themselves in a situation to have their life taken.”

In a statement at the time, LMPD said an officer went to White's home April 30 to conduct a welfare check at the request of her employer because she hadn't shown up for work. No one answered at the home, and LMPD said there were no signs of a struggle or foul play.

"I share this information now to give you context and information on a very complicated case. This is still a very active investigation and there could be additional arrests in the future. Our detectives are working diligently to build a case that ensures that those responsible receive the punishment they deserve. And her family is left with a sense of justice," Humphrey said Thursday.

The chief continued: "I apologize, particularly to Ms. White's family, for the lack of sensitivity and the lack of clarity in my words. And how that contributed to their pain. I should not have said it that way. I want to make clear Mr. Shelby is the person responsible for the murder and death of Latasha White.

“I should not have made the comment yesterday. I default towards giving information, and I should have just shut up.”

Asked what he would say to White's family, Humphrey said, "I'm heartbroken for their loss. I can't imagine the pain of losing a sister, a daughter, a loved one in that way. And it is our goal to make sure that we we serve their interest and and make sure that justice is served for them."

Anyone with information in White's case, or any other case, is asked to call LMPD's anonymous Crime Tip Line at (502) 574-LMPD (5673). Tips can also be submitted anonymously through the department's Crime Tip Portal by clicking here.

Previous Coverage: 

Louisville's police chief faces criticism over comments on Tasha White case

Judge sets $1 million bond for Louisville man charged with Tasha White's murder

Man charged with murder of Louisville woman found dead after disappearance

Arrest made in murder of missing Louisville woman found 'obviously deceased' near Buechel

LMPD defends handling of Tasha White case as Metro councilwoman questions timeline

Family members say missing 49-year-old Louisville woman found shot to death

Woman found 'obviously deceased' from gunshot wound near Buechel, Louisville police say

Louisville police investigating disappearance of 49-year-old woman last seen April 27

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