LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — The family of a 28-year-old woman shot and killed by Louisville police last week questions officers’ actions as the investigation continues.
Admitting they haven't seen the video footage of the shooting — which Louisville police should release in the next week — relatives of Katelyn Hall said her mental health had been deteriorating in recent years and believe the situation could have been handled differently.
“She was beautiful, and her soul was beautiful," said Tara Tunis, Hall's cousin. "She was always smiling."
Louisville Metro Police officers were called Friday, March 27, to an apartment complex near Jeffersontown for a woman experiencing a mental health crisis.
LMPD said the woman, identified as Hall, had self-inflicted cuts and was armed with a sharp object.
According to police, when authorities forced entry into the bathroom where she was barricaded, she charged at them with it.
Two officers — Robert Baker and Robert Gabbard — opened fire, killing her. Baker and Gabbard were placed on administrative leave.
Tunis said the family is waiting to review body camera footage.
“Until we see the video footage, I just don’t believe that she went after them like that,” she said. “This could have been avoided. She didn’t need to be shot and killed. I feel like she was murdered."
Hall’s family said her death has left them searching for answers.
“It doesn’t make sense to me or the family or her mother that watched her die,” Tunis said. “It just doesn’t make sense.”
At a press conference Wednesday, LMPD Chief Paul Humphrey said incidents like this are difficult for everyone involved.
“No one goes into these situations hoping or expecting these outcomes — not the families, not the officers and certainly not the community,” Humphrey said. “I am asking for your patience as we attempt to learn and understand everything that happened.”
Mayor Craig Greenberg told WDRB Tuesday the city is now exploring whether a co-responder model could help with encounters like this.
"In certain situations like this, you have both a mental health professional and the police who respond together and can respond better," Greenberg said. "So that's something we're looking at right now."
The department’s Public Integrity Unit is investigating the shooting. Under department policy, additional information and body camera footage from the shooting will be made public within 10 business days.
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