London, Ky. Police Dept. suspended use of body cameras
WKYT continues to follow a deadly police shooting involving the London Police Department.
Douglas Harless(WKYT)
According to the Lexington Herald-Leader, Kentucky State Police collected several pieces of evidence following the death of Harless. The Herald-Leader reports investigators seized a security camera believed to have captured the interaction between Harless and the officers, a cell phone connected to the security camera, a handgun and five spent shell casings, along with the memory card with surveillance footage from a nearby home.
New information also shows the reason that brought officers to Harless’s street the night of the shooting was a stolen weed eater.
That detail comes from a KSP search warrant filed after the shooting. It also reveals when officers knocked on Harless’s door and didn’t get an answer, they forced their way in.
That’s when London police say Harless pointed a gun at them.
MORE:
- Video shows moments leading up to deadly Kentucky police shooting
- Did officers go to wrong home in deadly Kentucky police shooting?
- Police say man killed by officer pointed gun at them
A march for Harless is being held Saturday in London at 11:30 a.m., starting at Big Lots.
WKYT has filed several open records requests regarding the incident to get more information. We have now received some responses:
- Request:
- “Any search warrant issued and supporting affidavits filed by London Police on or around December 23, 2024, for the address 511 Vanzant Road, Lily, Kentucky.” -- this was from before we knew the warrant was likely for 489.
- Response:
- “City Attorney, Larry Bryson has provided the following responses to your request: The documents (records) that you requested are not in our possession. We cannot produce documents that are not in our possession. All of the records of the shooting incident that occurred on December 23 and 24th of 2024 have been turned over to the Kentucky State Police. See 24-ORD-271; Bowling v Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government, 172 SE3d 333 (2005); City of Fort Thomas v Cincinnati Enquirer, 406 SW3d 842, 848 (2013).”
- Request:
- “London Police Department body-worn camera policy, body-worn camera video from London Police Department’s attempt to serve a search warrant at 489 Vanzant Road on Monday December 23, copy of the search warrant for 489 Vanzant Road issued on or around Monday, December 23″
- Response:
- “City Attorney, Larry Bryson has provided the following responses to your request: You made a request for Body camera footage from the execution of a search warrant on Vanzant Road in Lily on Monday, December 23. No such body camera exists. All records relating to the incident have been provided to the Kentucky State Police.”
- Request:
- “Body camera footage from London Police’s attempt to execute a search warrant on Vanzant Road in Lily on Monday, December 23.”
- Response:
- “City Attorney, Larry Bryson has provided the following responses to your request: You made a request for Body camera footage from the execution of a search warrant on Vanzant Road in Lily on Monday, December 23. No such body camera exists. All records relating to the incident have been provided to the Kentucky State Police.”
- Request:
- Any search warrant issued and/on supporting affidavits filed on or around December 23, 2024, for Douglas Harless or the address 489 Vanzant, Lily, Kentucky 40740.
- Response:
- City Attorney, Larry Bryson has provided the following responses to your request: The documents (records) that you requested are not in our possession. We cannot produce documents that are not in our possession. All of the records of the shooting incident that occurred on December 23 and 24th of 2024 have been turned over to the Kentucky State Police. See 24-ORD-271; Bowling v Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government, 172 SE3d 333 (2005); City of Fort Thomas v Cincinnati Enquirer, 406 SW3d 842, 848 (2013).
