Louisville police involved in 10 shootings in 2025, including three in December

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — Louisville Metro Police were involved in 10 police shootings in 2025, with three of them in December.

On Jan. 4, Austin Schepers, a man who was wanted for shooting an Indiana sheriff's deputy on Jan. 3, was found in the backyard of a house on Wheeler Avenue, off Taylor Boulevard in Louisville, through helicopter surveillance.

Seven police officers fired at Schepers, who Louisville Metro Police Chief Paul Humphrey said appeared to "attempt to set up an ambush and shoot several officers."

Officers arrived in the back alley, shouted at Schepers to show his hands before shots were fired. In the helicopter video, Schepers was seen firing several shots toward the back alley with what Humphrey said was a handgun. As soon as he fired, the body camera video shows a barrage of gunfire erupting from the officers.

Just one day later, on Jan. 5, LMPD responded to a shooting near the city's Park Hill neighborhood where a woman was shot to death.

Police found 36-year-old Joshua Miller in an alley near the scene. Body camera footage released later on, shows when officers went up to Miller shots were fired at them.

After officers returned fire many times, they shouted many times for Miller to show them his hands. By that time, Miller had already been shot. They got to Miller as he was lying on the ground motionless, body camera video showed.

Miller was arrested Jan. 6 after being released from the hospital on a charge of murder and multiple counts of attempted murder of a first responder. Miller remains behind bars at Metro Corrections in downtown Louisville.

On April 20, LMPD shot and killed a man after he stabbed at an officer. In the body camera video released you can see a knife in suspect Ahtume McCollum's hand. Neighbors said he was yelling outside an apartment complex and broke into a neighbor's home.

Six days later police shot an armed and intoxicated man in a neighborhood off Poplar Level Road.

LMPD said the daughter of Daniel Gish, 55, called 911 and said her dad was extremely intoxicated, got a gun and put it to his head. He also fired a shot onto the floor.

Once on scene, police said they found Gish intoxicated in the driveway with a gun to his head. The body camera footage shows armed officers approach Gish outside and tells him to drop the gun several times.

Gish yells multiple obscenities at officers and goes into the home. Officers followed him and tried to get family members to safety. At least one other person was still in the home at that point, police said.

LMPD Patrol Sgt. Kristopher Pedigo confronted Gish in the home and told him to drop his gun again. Pedigo said he then shot the gun out of Gish's hand. At the time of the shooting, Bates said the officer fired one shot. Police then started rendering aid to Gish as they waited for EMS to arrive.

Gish survived and those in the home were able to get out safely, and no officers were injured.

Several months later on July 2, police responded to a home with a man who was having a mental health crisis, Garad Amir Garad. Officers say he pointed a gun in the direction of them when they arrived.

Officer Andrew Posante then fired his gun five times, per the body camera video. Shortly after his last shot, Garad dropped the gun, came outside and was arrested.

Garad never fired his gun. An arrest citation says two of his family members told police Garad punched them, hurting one of them so badly she blacked out. It also says Garad damaged walls and electronics while in custody.

On Oct. 27, LMPD was responding to a deadly shooting in Newburg. When officers arrived, they found a woman, identified as 45-year-old Tiffany Reiner, on the sidewalk after she was shot.

Before officers had a chance to help Reiner, McKinley said a man, identified as 20-year-old Frank Mejia Aguilar, carrying a gun approached them in the street. The officers told him to stop, but he reportedly continued to come toward them and pointed the weapon.

That's when one of the officers shot Aguilar as he continued to approach. Both Aguilar and Reiner were taken to UofL Health Hospital where they later died.

On Nov. 22, officers got a call from a person saying they were robbed at gunpoint.

Officer Patrick Norton locates the suspect, William Jenkins, walking down the sidewalk in the area and told him to stop walking away and get his hands out of his pockets. The man put his hands in front of his face, but as Norton got closer, he took off running. Norton quickly caught up and pushed the man down from behind. He then quickly backed up, saying "He's reaching! Stop reaching!"

At that point, Norton pulled out his gun and fired about nine shots.

On Officer Patrick Waller's body camera video, he gets out of his cruiser near Norton and immediately said "He's reaching for a gun. Drop the f****** gun!" He then fired several shots as well.

The officers slowly approached Jenkins and retrieved the gun from his right hand. Jenkins was unresponsive and was later pronounced dead by EMS.

On Dec. 4 on Red Deer Circle, LMPD said a 911 caller told them a white man wearing no shirt pointed a gun at a woman at the apartment complex.

LMPD said Sixth Division Officers Michael Crowe and Austin Taylor responded to the scene. They found the man holding a gun near the stairwell leading to the parking lot. The officers ordered the man to drop the gun before two officers fired, hitting the man. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

The Jefferson County Coroner's Office identified the man Monday as Casey Barnes, 32.

A Louisville police officer shot and critically injured an armed man in the Russell neighborhood on the morning of Dec. 18.

The incident started with a ShotSpotter alert coming from West Chestnut Street near 23rd Street just after 11 a.m., according to a statement from Louisville Metro Police Deputy Chief Ryan Bates.

Bates said the officer ordered the man to show his hands, but he told the officer he had a gun and would only produce one hand in the air.

"After being ordered numerous times to raise his hands in the air, the suspect reached toward his waistband," Bates said. "One LMPD officer discharged his weapon multiple times, striking the suspect several times."

The man was taken to UofL Health Hospital in downtown Louisville in critical condition.

A man was hospitalized after being shot several times on Bardstown Road early on the morning of Dec. 19, but it's not clear whose bullets hit the man.

The officers saw two cars, a Tahoe and another SUV, driving parallel on Bardstown Road having an argument. The drivers were fighting, according to police, and shots were fired close to several homes. The Tahoe was driving the wrong way.

LMPD officials tell us officers heard gunshots and ordered the cars to stop. Officer Nicholas Fischer fired his gun, but it's not clear whether he hit either driver.

The SUV drove off, but the Tahoe stayed at the scene. The driver of the Tahoe was shot in both arms. He was taken to the hospital with injuries not considered life-threatening injuries and is expected to survive. Police said a gun was found in his vehicle.

An LMPD spokesperson said "it is unclear who fired the shots that injured the individual who is now at University Hospital."

WDRB reached out to LMPD several times for more details, including clarification on how far away the cars were from the officers and whether the officer's bullets hit the Tahoe Driver. An LMPD spokesperson said, "no additional information is available" and added that they were following protocol.

The driver of the SUV has not been found, but officials said there is no threat to the public.

LMPD policy is to release body camera footage from critical incidents within ten business days.

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