Wrongful death lawsuit filed against LMPD in fatal 2019 shooting of unarmed robbery suspect

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) – The family of a D’Juantez Anthony Mitchell, who was shot and killed by a Louisville Metro Police officer last year, has filed a wrongful death lawsuit.

The lawsuit claims the officer who shot Mitchell was not properly trained and that LMPD lied about how the shooting happened.

“What happened in this case was murder,” said Greg Simms, the family’s attorney. “And it was wrongful death by an officer of an unarmed Black man. And at this time in our history, that resonates with the public.”

While investigating violent business robberies, LMPD on May 15, 2019, surveilled a white Kia, which LMPD said was tied to the robberies. Mitchell, who was driving the vehicle, was shot after detectives made what the department called an “investigative stop” near the intersection of Watterson Trail and Ruckreigel Parkway in Jeffersontown.

In a press conference after the shooting, LMPD Public Integrity Unit Lt. Aaron Crowell said Mitchell was identified as a suspect in the robberies and police had an active warrant on him. Crowell said Officer Bryan Arnold shot Mitchell because he put officers in danger.

“As these officers surrounded Mitchell’s vehicle and attempted to take him into custody, Mitchell accelerated, striking Officer Bryan Arnold and endangering three other officers on foot, before ramming a Jeffersontown patrol vehicle,” Crowell said.

Mitchell did not have a gun, but Crowell said his use of his vehicle was considered the weapon. There is no body camera footage or dashcam video of the incident, because the robbery unit does not use them.

Simms told WDRB News that evidence will disprove LMPD’s version of events.

The lawsuit states officers, in plain clothes and unmarked cars, surrounded Mitchell’s vehicle with guns drawn. Simms said those officers then told Mitchell to put his hands up and get out.

“Mr. Mitchell was on the phone at the time speaking with a friend,” Simms said. “He was trying to comply with those demands, and apparently that wasn’t fast enough for Detective Arnold. And then he just shot. He shot D’Juantez Mitchell in the face.”

The attorney claims Mitchell was shot once by Arnold before the car moved forward and crashed into a police cruiser.

“I don’t know if D’Juantez Mitchell was losing consciousness and he didn’t voluntarily go forward, or if he was trying to get away from the person who just shot him in the face. But the LMPD version of events that no shots were fired until that vehicle started going forward is a complete lie,” said Simms.

The lawsuit also claims Arnold was not properly trained or prepared to handle the situation. Arnold is a pilot in the LMPD Air Unit. The helicopter at the time was down for maintenance, so Arnold was assigned to help the robbery unit. Arnold was the only officer on scene to fire his weapon.

“He may or may not have had any business out there at all with a weapon,” Simms said. “Of a group of officers that are highly trained in their use of force and their weapons, if there’s a visible threat to an officer’s life, there’s not going to be only one person to pull the trigger. Multiple officers are going to start shooting. So there are all these red flags that don’t make sense.”

Simms said he does not believe that Mitchell had anything to do with the robberies or that LMPD had any felony evidence to stop or arrest Mitchell.

“Essentially after the police killed him, they applied for a warrant to go search his home," the attorney said. "They got a search warrant to search his home after his death, which doesn’t make a lot of sense if they’re actively pursuing a robbery investigation. It sure makes sense if they’re trying to find dirt on someone they just killed."

WDRB News reached out to LMPD Thursday for comment, but the department said it does not comment on pending litigation. An LMPD spokesperson said Arnold has returned to full duty, the PIU investigation is complete, and the Professional Standards Unit investigation is pending.

The lawsuit names former Chief Steve Conrad, acting Chief Robert Schroeder, Arnold and the department. The suit asks for a jury trial and damages for Mitchell’s wrongful death, but Simms said the lawsuit will never give Mitchell’s family members what they really want: their loved one back.

“There’s no justice in a case like this,” said Simms. “But I can tell you the family wants change, they want oversight, they want cameras on police officers all the time.”