LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Neighbors in a quiet Crescent Hill apartment complex say they're still shocked after a man was shot and killed by Louisville Metro Police on Easter Sunday — a man they say lived in the building and often acted strange.
The shooting happened just after noon April 20 on Arterburn Avenue, near Frankfort Avenue. That's where LMPD officers responded to a report of a possibly intoxicated man acting erratically. The man was yelling at neighbors and had broken out apartment windows, according to LMPD Chief Paul Humphrey.
Pictured: a boarded up window in an apartment complex on in the 3300 block of Arterburn Avenue in Crescent Hill in Louisville, Ky., on April 21, 2025. An LMPD officer fatally shot a man with a knife in the neighborhood after he stabbed another officer in the chest on April 20, 2025. (WDRB/Dalton Godbey)
"I had brought my dog out and I noticed that he (the dog) was screaming. He was over there yelling at himself, causing a scene," recalled Stephanie Panter, who lives in the apartment complex, adding that the man was attempting to antagonize her fiancé, but "she didn't feed any attention to him. "So he turned around and we came back in. It sounds like the calls started coming in a little before then, and things escalated."
When officers arrived, police said the man was holding a knife. As they tried to detain him, he resisted, and a struggle broke out. A Taser was deployed but was ineffective. During the altercation, the man allegedly stabbed one officer in the chest — but the officer’s ballistic vest prevented injury. Officer Benjamin Klingenfus then shot the man in the head, according to LMPD. The man later died at the hospital.
Neighbors said the man had been seen acting strangely before — talking to himself, lying in the grass, or pacing around.
"Neighbors kind of knew of him a little bit, but we've never seen that side," Panter said.
Another neighbor, who asked not to be identified, said: "He was always polite. I never had a personal issue with him. I just knew he possibly had some issues because he would walk around talking to himself.'
The shooting has stunned the otherwise tranquil community, leaving behind what's left of the scene and several busted windows in two different units.
"There’s been no disturbances here in this complex or in this area," another neighbor said. "I’ve never seen the police out here for any reason."
"It’s kind of scary that it did happen here," Panter added. "The way things escalated, it’s very different."
LMPD said the incident was captured on body camera, and that footage will be released within 10 business days.
Both officers involved have been placed on paid administrative leave during the investigation -- which is standard procedure in use-of-force cases.
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