Louisville's mayor asks for rapid release of video after LMPD shoots woman in Valley Station

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Louisville's mayor said he wants body camera video of a shooting Sunday night to be released as soon as possible.

LMPD said police shot a woman after she refused to obey commands to drop a gun.

"They (officers) saw a individual -- a female -- holding and waving a gun in the middle of the street area," LMPD Interim Chief Jacquelyn Gwinn-Villaroel said Sunday night.

The shooting happened shortly before 6 p.m. on Feb. 19 on Chenault Road, off Johnsontown Road in Valley Station.

"As they gave continuous verbal commands for her to drop the weapon, she refused," Gwinn-Villaroel said. "She began to advance toward the officers continuously as they continued to ask her to drop the weapon."

According to LMPD, police then fired at the woman. Gwinn-Villaroel said police "immediately" rendered aid to the woman after the shooting. LMPD said the woman was alert, conscious, and talking while being taken to the hospital.

The Kentucky State Police is leading investigation, as per current policy.

In mid-2020 then-mayor Greg Fischer announced that the Louisville Metro Police Department should no longer investigate itself after officer-involved shootings where someone is hurt or killed, and instead, Kentucky State Police should lead those investigations.

WDRB News reports show that since 2021, KSP has led investigations on at least six shootings involving LMPD.

"Our administration inherited a policy from the previous administration that calls for the Kentucky State Police to investigate all officer-involved shootings," Greenberg said. "So that was the policy that was followed last night and is currently being followed. We will be evaluating that policy -- just as we are all policies that we inherited -- but right now we are working in close cooperation with the KSP."

Greenberg said he wants body camera footage of the incident released as soon as possible, but the timeframe is up to state police.

"I know the chief has already conveyed to the Kentucky State Police our request to release the body cam footage as soon as possible," Greenberg said. "I will also be conveying that request directly to them as well, but again, they are leading the investigation right now and so those conversations will continue. But it is our goal to get the body cam footage released as soon as possible. That is very important for accountability and transparency purposes."

As of Monday afternoon Mayor Greenberg said he had not yet seen the body camera footage, but believed Chief Gwinn-Villaroel has viewed it. Gwinn-Villaroel has already stated that it appears the LMPD officers involved in the shooting followed protocol.

It is unclear when Kentucky State Police will release the body camera footage.

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