LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) --Â Three months after Jefferson County Sheriff's Deputy Brandon Shirley was shot and killed while sitting in his car, there are still no arrests. His family continues to search for answers, and now, there's a special tribute to him that will help other law enforcement families.
The investigation of the fatal shooting continues, and police think the people in a truck possibly had something to do with Shirley's murder.Â
Every day, his family is hoping for information. At the Shirley family home, pictures, patches and medals of honor all recognize the fallen deputy.
"It's extremely hard to deal with right now," said Brian Shirley, Brandon's father. "Something all day long always reminds us of him. It never leaves."
Deborah Shirley, Brandon's mother, said he always fascinated by those on the front line. As a kid, she said he'd always run outside wanting to know what kind of siren it was.
"I would say by the time he was a little kid up until the time he got his first job at Kentucky Kingdom being an EMT, that boy heard sirens," she said.Â
Brandon Shirley dedicated his life to a job he loved. Baseball was his sport, a pitcher as a kid. And now, in the family's basement, a baseball bat was made to honor him. It marks the end of his watch on Aug. 5, 2021.
Austin Reising, Shirley's partner, said they planned to get married soon. Reising found out about the shooting first.
"He said Brandon was shot. I'm on my way to the hospital," Deborah Shirley said. "He asked if I needed a ride? I said, 'No, I'll get Brian up, and we're on our way.'"
Jefferson County Sheriff's Deputy Brandon Shirley was shot and killed at a car lot in Shively where he was working off-duty security. Aug. 5, 2021Â Image courtesy Jefferson County Sheriff's Office.Â
The 26-year-old was working an off-duty security job at Rockford Lane Auto Sales in Shively, where a memorial still stands. He died at the hospital.Â
"When we found out he was working there, we didn't want him working in that area," Deborah Shirley said. "He worked three nights a week and then another sheriff's deputy worked the other nights too."
At the hospital, there was so much support for law enforcement officers.
"That's when you really know it's bad," Reising said. "It's just a flood of police all over."
Nearly there months later, and the case is still cold.
"We're kind of stuck here, hoping we can weave through what we're being told, figure out what's going on and hoping for the best," Brian Shirley said.
Speaking shortly after his death, Louisville Metro Police Chief Erika Shields spoke a new conference and said Brandon Shirley was likely "targeted" and "ambushed."
"We believe we may, in fact, have a couple of potential suspects," she said.
There remains no word on who those suspects are. The only evidence made public is a picture of a 2002-05 GMC/Chevy.
"There were several cameras in that area, a Ring doorbell for instance," Brian Shirley said. "Funny thing, one of our friends lives on Rockford and they came and got footage from them. They are right there by the car lot.
So they got footage from them, the car lot, the liquor store and couple of other places."
Family and investigators are scouring grainy images for any clue to who killed Brandon Shirley.
"The truck was spotted a couple times on those videos," Brian Shirley said. "They stuck it out there hoping someone recognizes that truck."
But the problem is the truck is very common.
"We have one of those trucks on our street right now," Brian Shirley said.
Even with an $80,000 reward, the FBI, ATF and police have not been able to bring the family closure with an arrest or concrete details of what happened, or why.
"They're working hard. We've got faith in them," Brian Shirley said. "It's the same thing, you know? Search warrants and running down leads, running down tips, and they're trying to put the case together.
You know ... first, they went from him being ambushed, targeted to possibly this, possibly that. It's unfortunate. I can't tell you what they are telling us, but they've had three or four theories here, and sometimes, we sit down and think that makes sense, and then we sit down and so no, it don't."
Brandon Shirley became a deputy in March 2019. He was assigned to court security in downtown Louisville. He was awarded the Medal of Valor for his actions during social justice protests last year, running into the crowd to help Tyler Gerth, the photographer shot and killed at Jefferson Square Park last summer.
And since his death, the family said they've gotten so much support.
"We've gotten hundreds and hundreds of cards and condolence letters and gifts from all over the country," Reising said.
Each card means so much to their family, evidence of the community rallying around them.
Just a few days ago, the Louisville Metro Police Foundation presented a "Challenge Coin" to the family honoring Brandon Shirley, a reminder of his sacrifice. The coins will be available to the public starting Monday for a donation of $25.
For information on the Louisville Metro Police Foundation and to order the Brandon Shirley coin starting Monday, click here. On the foundation web page, click other, and type in "Shirley coin," and the coin will be shipped to the address provided.
The Shirley family designated that all money raised will go to the Officer In Distress fund, a program that helps officers and their families experiencing a catastrophic event. Brandon Shirley's family wants to be able to help other families the way they have been helped.
"He's probably the greatest man we ever knew, and we're not just saying that just because he was our son but because the kind of person he was," Deborah Shirley said.
And for now, the family waits, hoping the next call will be the one with answers.
"We will make an arrest," Shields said in that Aug. 5 news conference.Â
The family hopes people with information will just come forward.Â
"You know, I would tell them this," Brian Shirley said. "Walk into your house. If you have kids, hold your kid. Love it. Kiss it. Tell it goodnight. And look down at that kid and ask yourself what would you do if you had to bury that one? Would you withhold the information? Wouldn't you want someone to help you?"
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