Father of Shepherdsville man fatally shot by police says his son needed mental help

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- The father of a man fatally shot by Kentucky State Police in Shepherdsville Wednesday said he tried to negotiate his son's safe surrender, but officers wouldn't let him inside the home.

"You killed him like a dog," sobbed Dave Blevens, the father Tyler Blevens.

Dave Blevens said he was devastated as he gave WDRB News a tour of the home on Mandarin Court, off Redcrest Drive, in Shepherdsville one day after his son was shot and killed outside.

"They just destroyed the house," he said.

A sting of tear gas still lingered in the air inside the home.

"This was our workout room," Dave Blevens said before coughing and quickly apologizing. "It's a little strong. Sorry, guys."

As he walked through the various rooms, he paused to provide commentary about what happened there Tuesday night into Wednesday morning, pointing out damage and noting that police "stomped this in" or "shot tear gas through here," and "shot this window out with tear gas."

They're the markers and signs of the final hours of his son's life.

Authorities said around 10:45 p.m. Tuesday, Kentucky State Police was asked to assist Shepherdsville Police after 22-year-old Tyler Blevens barricaded himself in the home. He was wanted on felony warrants, including charges of wanton endangerment of a police officer, according to KSP.

Around 1 a.m., the Kentucky State Police Special Response Team was on the scene.

Dave Blevens said his son struggled with mental health issues. He said Tyler was tested for bi-polar disorder, but he was not currently on medication or in counseling.

Dave Blevens initially answered the door when police responded. He said Tyler closed him outside when officers announced the reason they were at the home.

"I volunteered multiple times to come up here and get him," he said. "They said, 'Oh, you could be a hostage situation.' I said, 'I'll sign anything you want. I just don't want my son dead.' He was 22 years old."

But Trooper Scotty Sharp, a spokesman for Kentucky State Police, said it was a chance police weren't willing to take.

"We always want these situations to end peacefully," he said.

However, Sharp said Tyler Blevens, "was considered armed and dangerous and therefore we had to be very cautious with how we dealt with Mr. Blevens."

After a seven-hour standoff, police said Tyler Blevens emerged from the home just after 6 a.m. According to KSP, he had a gun and tried to get into a vehicle. Despite repeated warnings to drop his weapon, Tyler Blevens refused, according to police. That's when KSP troopers opened fire.

Blevens was pronounced dead at the scene. His father said he wants to know why.

"The rifle was in the car pointing face down ... He was shot outside of it," Dave Blevens said. "The coroner told me he was hit twice in the head and once in the chest."

Kentucky State Police said they are still investigating the shooting and could not provide exact details of what led to the fatal gunfire.

"I do not think it was justified," Dave Blevens said.

The warrant Shepherdsville Police officers were trying to serve at the time of the standoff involved a previous incident at Louisville Manor off Dixie Highway in Shively. According to a police report, Tyler Blevens was a passenger in a car with meth, cocaine, heroin, marijuana and other pills. He escaped on foot, jumping over a fence and firing a shot at a police officer, according to the report.

Attorneys said Blevens was also scheduled to take a plea deal this week for probation in connection with a 2019 police chase.

On Thursday, his father acknowledged his faults.

"He wasn't a perfect kid," Dave Blevens said. "But he didn't deserve to die like this."

Dave Blevens said the family was trying to help Tyler turn his life around.

"He was getting ready to start barber college," Dave Blevens said, breaking down. "No matter what they thought about him, he deserved his day in court."

Tyler Blevens is survived by his 3-year-old son. He'd just returned the child to his mother hours before police knocked at the door.

"My son, deep down, had a good heart," Dave Blevens said.

State police officials said it will be several days before the name of the officer or officers who fired fatal shots is released.

It's protocol for them to be put on administrative leave for the investigation.

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