SHAWNEE PARK SHOOTING BODY CAM

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Unedited body camera footage was released Wednesday showing Louisville Metro Police officers shooting a wanted fugitive who allegedly shot an officer in the chest in Shawnee Park. 

Edited body camera footage and personnel files of the officers involved was released last week, but now — 10 days after the shooting — the full version of the video is available for the first time. Parts of the video were redacted to blur images of bystanders and juveniles, including phone screens. Some audio was also redacted to prevent the release of social security numbers and other personal information being broadcast on police radios during the incident. 

The shooting happened around 8 p.m. July 10 at the Dirt Bowl tournament at the park. Officers spotted Herbert Lee — who was wanted for three different warrants — at the park. As officers approached Lee, they said he took off running.

In Officer Daniel Burnett's video, shots are fired before Burnett drops a clip and reloads. Officers continue to shout "Drop the gun!" Several more shots are fired. An officer is heard yelling "He still has a gun!" Officers approach Lee, and one confirms he got the gun from Lee.

Police said Lee pulled out a gun as he stumbled, before shooting an officer in the chest. LMPD said officers returned fire, hitting Lee several times. He was taken to University of Louisville Hospital and was released Thursday then booked at Metro Corrections. LMPD said he is expected to recover from his injuries.

An officer identified as Joshua Pickering said in the video that Lee shot him in the chest, but a bullet-resistant vest stopped the bullet.

"I got hit, dude," Pickering said in the video. "It hit my vest."

Along with Pickering and Burnett, Officers Richard Williams, Joel Voelker and Nicholas Hollkamp fired more than a dozen shots at Lee, striking him several times in the extremities. 

In Burnett's video, Lee is bleeding and appears to be on the phone as officers attend to him. He asks for and receives water as officers begin applying a tourniquet.

After Lee was shot, the scene was chaotic. A large crowd gathered around the body as officers worked to keep everyone back. Williams' video shows several conversations with bystanders confused as to what transpired:

Bystander: "What happened? ... That's what I wanna know."

Williams: "He pulled out a gun and started shooting at everyone."

Bystander: "What's going on, man?"

Williams: "That guy pulled out a gun and started shooting at police."

Bystander: "Officer, what if it was your son? ... What would you do?"

Williams: "Well, my son probably wouldn't shoot at you. ... That's the first thing. He pulled out a gun and started shooting at us when we were chasing him. It's all on video, so watch it."

Williams: "It's very clear and simple what he did. He should have just laid down. We were yelling at him to lay down."

Williams: "He fell down. ... Before anybody shot, he fell down, picked his gun out of his little satchel and started firing at police."

The five officers have a combined 15 letters of commendation. Hollkamp and Voelker have five each. Only Williams, who has been with the department more than 15 years, has a letter of reprimand, which was for missing a court appearance in 2012. Burnett and Hollkamp joined the department as recruits in 2020. Information was not released for how long Burnett and Pickering have been with LMPD.

Lee spent time in the hospital before he was booked into Louisville Metro Corrections on the following charges:

  • Receiving Stolen Property (firearm)
  • Restricted Ammunition
  • Attempted Murder Of A Police Officer
  • Possession Of A Handgun By A Convicted Felon
  • Fleeing/Evading 1st degree (on foot)

Lee was already facing numerous charges including: 

  • Possession of a Handgun By a Convicted Felon
  • Theft By Unlawful Taking Firearm
  • Tampering With Physical Evidence
  • Receiving Stolen Property (Firearm)
  • Fleeing/Evading 1st degree (on foot)
  • Criminal Possession of a Forged Instrument 2nd Degree
  • Theft By Deception
  • Probation Violation
  • Receiving Stolen Property
  • Wanton Endangerment 1st Degree
  • Violation of Emergency Protective Order
  • Harassment With Physical Contact

Several of Lee's current charges stem from an incident in June 2021, when he was accused of running from police with a stolen gun. By August, he was out on bond after that incident, and by April, a warrant was issued for him after he didn't appear in court for that case.

That warrant came after others were filed the month before, when Lee didn't show up to court for two other cases — a domestic violence assault he pleaded guilty to in 2020 and another case of alleged check fraud. In the check case, he was let out of custody on his own recognizance.

Lee is also convicted of crashing a stolen car 14 years ago, killing four teenagers.

In 2008, at age 16, Lee drove four teenage boys home from a field trip with Youth Alive. There wasn't enough room in the vans to return home, so they were allegedly told to get into a car driven by Lee. When LMPD officers saw the Honda sedan that Lee and the boys were in, they identified it as a stolen. They began a high-speed pursuit that ended in a fiery crash at 1st and Hill streets. Lee was the only survivor. He was convicted by a jury in October 2010 on four counts of manslaughter in the deaths of Jamar, Demar and Marc Claybrooks and Aaron Shields.

He served less than three years. In 2017, Louisville Metro Government agreed to pay $1.6 million to settle a lawsuit filed by the families of four boys who died in the crash.

In an interview with WDRB News, Lee said that he was dedicated to changing his life.

Louisville's inspector general announced an investigation into the shooting earlier this month. Edward Harness' office is independent and was created after the social justice movement of 2020. Harness wants to talk to witnesses or anyone with video of the shooting.

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