LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Louisville Metro Police arrested a man after a shooting last Saturday near the Big Four Bridge last Saturday left six people injured, including a 9-year-old boy who was grazed by a bullet.
Detectives with LMPD's Homicide Unit arrested William Devon Thompson Jr., 30, on Thursday afternoon, according to a news release. Police said Thompson is the father of the 9-year-old victim.
According to an arrest report, officers were called to the area of the bridge just after 9 p.m. after someone reported a shooting there. When officers arrived, they found three victims who were suffering from gunshot wounds. They were transported to University of Louisville Hospital via ambulance.
Police said three more victims were taken to University Hospital via personal vehicle.
Surveillance cameras reviewed after the incident appeared to show two people shooting at each other. Police said one of those individuals was Thompson.
Shortly after the incident, police released images from surveillance video showing a suspect with a gun in his hand.
Thompson is facing several charges, including six counts of first-degree assault and one count of second-degree disorderly conduct.
LMPD is asking for help identifying the male pictured above in connection to the shooting at the Big Four Bridge on Saturday night. (Courtesy of Louisville Metro Police)
Around the time Thompson’s arrest was announced, kids were at play in the Waterfront Splash Park. Each were closely monitored by their parents and guardians.
“I don’t want to be here having a good time with the children and then the shootings start,” said Sékou Touré, sitting alongside his daughter Zendaya. “Everyone is a part of this, African, American, European we are all going through the same thing.”
“I can just about imagine how stupid he feels right now,” Latissha Batts, a Louisville grandmother, said about Thompson. “It’s just too much. I mean, we’re surrounded by it everywhere and you wouldn’t think it would happen so close to where kids play.”
During an initial interview following the shooting, LMPD Maj. Brian Kuriger said a lot of kids and teens roam the parks unsupervised on the weekends and is urged parents to be with their kids in the night hours at the Waterfront.
There have been more than 174 non-fatal shootings this year— 31 of those victims are under the age of 18.
Either way, both adults say violence is violence.
“It’s hard out here and you never know where it’s [the gun violence is] going to hit next,” Batts added.
The investigation is ongoing, and this story will be updated when more details become available.
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