Family of man shot, killed by Louisville police in PRP says he suffered from mental illness

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- The family of an Air Force veteran killed by Louisville police obtained an emergency protection order on the day before officers shot him.

Court records claim Nicolas Pierce suffered from bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, among other mental illnesses and that he'd become suicidal after not taking his prescribed medication.

Recordings of 911 calls reveal Pierce called police himself on Friday, May 10 from his home on Crawford Avenue in Louisville's Pleasure Ridge Park neighborhood.

"He is rambling, stated that he has a knife and he is armed and dangerous," the 911 dispatcher radioed to the responding LMPD officer.

"He's at the door and he's holding a knife," the officer responded.

Louisville Metro Police said Pierce refused to drop the weapon after being told multiple times, and that he kept approaching officers with it in his hands.

"Nick was a 9/11 Air Force veteran. He was stationed in Jordan. He had several inpatient treatments to deal with mental illness at the VA and Our Lady of Peace (hospital)," Pierce's ex-wife Heather Pierce said in an interview with WDRB on Wednesday. "Toward the end, Nick wasn't himself."

Loved ones said the father of two worked at UPS for more than 15 years and collected action figures in his spare time.

"When I first met him, he was out there, he was very adventurous, outgoing," Heather, who was married to Pierce for 20 years, said.

"We did everything together. We walked, we watched movies, we watch TV, we talked," Pierce's 15-year old son Max explained. "Occasionally we would get on a game or I'd play while he watched."

Those were the good days. But the bad ones were dark, and as loved ones described often unpredictable. Those days were evident in the weeks before his death as the decades-long struggles with mental illness started taking over his life.

It started on April 2. Court records show LMPD arrested Pierce on strangulation and fourth degree dating violence charges stemming from an incident where he was accused of choking his girlfriend, Ona Hopke.

"He literally went from laughing to violent. Was laughing to violent," Hopke said. "My friend attacked me from out of nowhere."

After he got out of jail, he had distressing conversations with his son. Sending texts saying "I hate life," "I hate everything," and "I want off this planet."

"He has told me before that if he wanted to go it would be police shooting him," Max Pierce said.

Worried about his safety, Heather filed a protection order that would keep him away from her and their two kids.

The order was granted on May 9. The next day, Pierce's family said he called 911 several times, starting around 10:30 p.m. before the fatal encounter with Louisville officers.

"I just want to know why," Heather said. "Why couldn't they take him to the VA and get him help or take him somewhere else. They knew he needed help. He needed it so bad."

LMPD said officers tried to use less than lethal force to subdue Pierce, but it didn't work.

"The suspect (ignored) officers commands and proceeded to come at the officers with a knife still in his hand, " LMPD Deputy Chief Col. Steven Healey said. "Less lethal options were deployed and they had very limited effect on the suspect."

In 2022, Louisville Metro launched a crisis diversion program sending mental health professionals to deescalate calls such as this but the city did not send them on this particular run.

"Our Deflection Program was created by researching several alternative response models across the country," Louisville Metro Emergency Services Assistant Director Jessica Wethington said. "Per our model and for the safety of our mental health responders, a social worker is not sent to the scene if there is a weapon in possession reported by the person calling 911. In this instance, the caller reported he had a knife in his possession, so it did not meet the criteria for an alternative response."

LMPD placed officers Bailey Siegrist, Christine Silk and Noah Sheets on paid administrative leave amid the investigation, per city protocol.

Body camera footage of the shooting is expected to be released Friday.

"My dad, he was strong, but he spiraled," Max Pierce said.

A 24/7 confidential crisis support resource is available on any phone for veterans and their loved ones. Dial 988 and press one.

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