LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg said Thursday he expects the body camera video of an officer-involved shooting to be released Friday.
It happened last Monday when a Louisville Metro Police officer shot two teens in the Chickasaw neighborhood.Â
The department called the shooting "unintentional."
Officers were called to the 800 block of South 38th Street, near Doerhoerfer Avenue in the Chickasaw neighborhood, around 6 p.m. on a report from a community member that several juveniles had illegally entered a garage on a vacant property in what was believed to be a stolen car.
Officers drew their weapons when they arrived "due to multiple unknown threats," according to a press release. Shortly thereafter, the garage door opened and several of the teenagers ran out.Â
"As one officer tried to detain the suspects, his service weapon discharged one bullet," police said. "The discharge is believed to have been unintentional."
The juveniles were unarmed. One of the teenagers was caught, but refused to answer questions.
Department policy has called for Kentucky State Police to investigate officer-involved shootings in Louisville. But the agency asked LMPD to conduct this investigation.
"We've already had conversations about evaluating this policy," Greenberg said. "We're gonna continue to do that, and we will be very clear and communicate that with the community if and when this policy changes."
Morgan Hall, communications director for the Justice and Public Safety Cabinet, said KSP has "vast knowledge and experience" as well as "additional technology and resources not readily available to all local law enforcement" that further assist with such investigations.
"KSP's dedication and strict adherence to the agency's core values and principles ensures that personnel handling investigations of this nature will remain detail-oriented, efficient and professional while serving the commonwealth of Kentucky," Hall said. "Since 2017, KSP has been investigating officer involved shootings for law enforcement agencies, including its own.
"The standards as outlined within KSP's standard operating procedures require specific steps to be taken to maintain the integrity of the investigation."
LMPD has said it's been transparent since the beginning of the investigation.
"After piecing together the evidence, the police department self-reported that an officer was involved in a shooting, despite the individuals who were shot repeatedly denying they were at the location where the shooting occurred," LMPD said in a statement on Tuesday.
The department also said Tuesday that "significant parties involved" in the shooting haven't been interviewed yet. LMPD is plans to release the footage after those people's statements are given.
"We are hoping to have the interviews completed by the end of the week," LMPD said in a statement.
Police said "no evidence (on scene) presented itself that would alert officers on scene that anyone had been injured." But an hour later, LMPD said Norton Children's Hospital informed officers that a teenage boy was transported there by private means with a non-life-threatening gunshot wound.
Then, as officers responded to the hospital, LMPD was alerted to another teenage boy who'd arrived at Norton Hospital Downtown with a non-life-threatening gunshot wound.
LMPD said the two teens gave conflicting statements about how they were shot, and both denied being at the scene on South 38th Street. One LMPD officer was placed on administrative leave.
Copyright 2023 WDRB Media. All Rights Reserved.
