Elsmere police draw criticism for hiring former deputy who fatally shot woman 10 years ago
The Elsmere Police Department is being criticized by some in the community for hiring a former deputy who fatally shot a 19-year-old woman a decade ago.
Former Boone County deputy and Villa Hills police officer Tyler Brockman was sworn in on Monday, the police department announced on its Facebook page.
“Please join the City of Elsmere in congratulating our newest Officer, Tyler Brockman! Officer Brockman was sworn in by Mayor Lenhof this morning,” the post states.
“Officer Brockman started his law enforcement career at the Boone County Sheriff’s Office from 2010-2019. From 2019-2024 Tyler worked at the Villa Hills Police Department. Tyler was promoted to the rank of Sergeant at Villa Hills. We are excited to welcome Tyler into the Elsmere family!”
Brockman was cleared of wrongdoing when he worked for the Boone County Sheriff’s Office in the April 2014 death of Samantha Ramsey. The sheriff's office in 2016 reached a $3.5 million settlement with Ramsey's family and passengers in the vehicle she was driving as she left a large outdoor party along the Ohio River in April 2014.
More: Boone County reaches $3.5M settlement with Samantha Ramsey family
The Elsmere police department’s Facebook post about his hiring has drawn more than 1,000 comments − many negative − and 554 shares so far.
A “peaceful protest” is now scheduled for Sunday, according to a Facebook page about the event.
Fox19 is reaching out to Elsmere city officials and police and Officer Brockman for comment.
A Boone County grand jury declined to indict Brockman after a special prosecutor presented evidence in the April 26, 2014, shooting as the deputy tried to break up a field party.
Ramsey − who was under the influence of alcohol and marijuana, according to forensic reports − was trying to flee as the deputy knocked on her window to stop her to see if she was intoxicated.
Brockman said she failed to listen to his commands to stop and began to speed off, so he jumped onto the hood of the car to avoid being pinned or run over.
At that point, Brockman said he felt the car speeding up and thought he would be killed. He pulled out his gun and shot several times through the windshield killing Ramsey, who was a 2013 graduate of Covington Holmes High School and also worked at the time at a local preschool.
Ramsey was taken to St. Elizabeth Medical Center in Florence, where she was pronounced dead.
Brockman was treated for his injuries at St. Elizabeth in Edgewood.
The Boone County Sheriff’s Department also agreed as part of the civil settlement to review and implement new policies including requiring deputies to wear body cameras, revising use of force and other internal policies, and additional training, according to an Enquirer report.
This report from Enquirer media partner Fox19 contains information from The Enquirer archives.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Deputy who shot Samantha Ramsey is now an Elsmere officer
