LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A civil trial centered around the actions a Louisville Metro Police officer took before a July 2021 crash that killed a bystander continued this week with more of LMPD's leadership on the stand.

Sgt. William Keeling, of LMPD's Professional Integrity Unit, fielded questions from attorneys while watching graphic body camera footage from the scene of the crash that killed 22-year-old Trevon Mitchell. 

Mitchell, along with four others who were injured, are suing Officer Ben Sullivan.

Sullivan is accused of violating the department's chase policy during the incident on July 6, 2021, when he tried to pull over a car driven by Larry Williams for expired tags. Williams took off, and Sullivan chased him. The chase ended in a fiery crash when Williams sped through a stoplight at the intersection of Broadway and Dr. W.J. Hodge Street. 

That's where Williams hit Trevon Mitchell, 22, who was on a moped and died in the crash. Four other people were also injured. A police report said Williams was traveling more than 90 mph when he hit Mitchell. 

WJHODGE FATAL CRASH.jpeg

LMPD's Traffic Unit is investigating after a fatal wreck on July 6, 2021 in the California neighborhood.

Williams was arrested several weeks later and charged with murder, but Mitchell's family believes Sullivan should be held accountable for his actions prior to the crash. 

LMPD's chase policy has been part of questioning throughout the trial, including methods and timing of the investigation. 

An investigator with LMPD's public integrity unit is expected to take the stand today.

Sgt. Keeling was called to the stand because the PIU was one of the agencies at the scene of the crash. That unit is responsible for monitoring or conducting criminal investigations of department members, including shootings where an officer pulls the trigger and in-custody deaths.

Keeling answered several pointed questions from Bo Bolus, the attorney for the plaintiffs, during Monday's proceedings:

BOLUS: "Based on your investigation, your comprehensive investigation, your detailed investigation, your copious investigation, can we agree that had the traffic stop never occurred, the collision never would have happened?" 

KEELING: "I cannot say that."

BOLUS: "You don't know what would've happened, do you?" 

KEELING: "I do not." "It wouldn't have happened if he simply pulled over."

BOLUS: "It wouldn't have happened if he didn't pursue him for 7-9 blocks against policy either, right?" 

KEELING: "If he would've stopped and pulled over it wouldn't have happened. No sir."

BOLUS: "If Officer Sullivan hadn't pursued him against policy it wouldn't have happened either, right?" 

KEELING: "That's not what I said."

Last week, LMPD Chief Jacquelyn Gwinn-Villaroel testified that there was no body camera footage from her because she was not wearing a camera when visiting the scene. But attorneys later located a picture showing of the chief wearing a body camera after the crash. 

In a statement released late Tuesday afternoon, Gwinn-Villaroel said she misspoke in court, and that the testimony she gave "was to the best of my recollection of the events" and that she "did not recall wearing a body-worn camera that day."

Attorneys plan to call other witnesses to the stand in the coming days, including expert witnesses and the suspect in this case, Larry Williams.

The trial is expected to wrap up sometime this week.

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