Louisville police officer on leave after teens injured Monday in 'unintentional' shooting
A Louisville Metro Police officer has been placed on administrative leave after two teenage boys were injured Monday following a shooting that was "believed to be unintentional," according to a statement from the department.
The incident took place at about 6 p.m. Monday, LMPD said in a Tuesday afternoon release, while police were responding to a trespassing call in Louisville's Chickasaw neighborhood. Sixth Division officers who went to the site, a detached garage located on a vacant property in the 800 block of S. 38th Street, found four juvenile males who fled the scene when the garage door opened. The officers had drawn their weapons due to "multiple unknown threats," the release said, and one officer fired one bullet as he attempted to detain the suspects.
One teen was detained among those who ran, the statement said, but refused to answer any questions. That teen was not injured and no officers were hurt, and LMPD said "no evidence presented itself that would alert officers on scene that anyone had been injured" as the scene was examined.
Tuesday headlines:Police: Suspect arrested after fatal shooting Monday night at local distribution plant
About an hour later, though, one teenage boy arrived at Norton Children's Hospital with a gunshot wound that was not believed to be life-threatening, and soon after, another teenage boy arrived at Norton Hospital in downtown Louisville with a non-life-threatening gunshot wound. LMPD said both teens gave "multiple conflicting statements" about their injuries and denied being at the scene in Chickasaw. They were later linked to the scene after officers examined body camera footage and other evidence to "ascertain how the juveniles were shot."
The officer who fired his gun has been placed on administrative leave. He was not named in the initial release or in a subsequent press conference, where Deputy Chief Paul Humphrey confirmed the two boys who were injured were hit by a bullet fired by an officer and said they were "in good condition" after having suffered "minor" wounds. One of the teens was detained at the scene, he added, while another "ultimately was able to flee and we do not have information on that suspect at this time."
Humphrey acknowledged information about the shooting Monday "did not go out immediately to the public" but said LMPD considers it important to "proactively and transparently" release information. No weapons were found at the scene, he said, though a car believed to have been stolen was in the garage.
More than a week after the incident, LMPD said body camera footage from the shooting will not be released until the investigation is complete. The Tuesday statement said officers hope to finish interviews by the end of the week.
Kentucky State Police, which normally investigates shootings involving Louisville police, instructed LMPD to conduct the investigation, Humphrey added. KSP will be in touch with LMPD throughout the probe, which will be turned over to KSP "for a FULL case review," the police statement said, before it's sent to the office of the Commonwealth's Attorney for review. KSP did not immediately respond to a request for comment sent Tuesday afternoon.
"We're very grateful that we're fortunate that no one was more seriously injured, no officers were injured in this situation," Humphrey added.
In a statement, Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg has he has been kept in the loop about the investigation and he has "instructed LMPD to release the body camera footage as soon as possible."
"I am relieved none of the officers involved were hurt and that the juveniles involved were not more seriously injured," Greenberg's statement said. "We are committed to transparency in this process and will provide more details to the public as the investigation progresses."
Monday's shooting came one day after LMPD officers shot and injured another woman in a separate incident in the 9100 block of Chenault Road. The woman in that case, who was shot after police said she "refused to comply" with orders to drop a gun she was waving, was reported to be conscious and alert following the shooting. KSP is investigating that shooting.
More:Kentucky Supreme Court upholds conviction of man who killed LMPD detective in 2018 crash
Reporter Lucas Aulbach contributed. Reach Ana Rocío Álvarez Bríñez at abrinez@gannett.com; follow her on Twitter at @SoyAnaAlvarez.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Louisville police: 2 teens hurt, officer suspended after LMPD shooting
