Louisville Metro Police Department Officer Brandon Brinkley shot a man allegedly attempting to carjack someone at a Fairdale Walmart on Wednesday, police officials said Friday.
Brinkley, who joined the department two years ago, shot 36-year-old Randall Allen, who police say is still in the hospital being treated for his injuries. At a press conference immediately following the shooting, LMPD Interim Chief Paul Humphrey said Allen was a passenger in a vehicle that fled from a Kentucky State Police trooper.
After crashing at Outer Loop and New Cut Road, Allen fled into the nearby Walmart. Humphrey said Allen ran outside when LMPD officers arrived and jumped into the car of a woman who was waiting in line at the drive-thru pharmacy. Allen was attempting to carjack the woman when Brinkley shot him after issuing verbal commands to get out of the car, Humphrey added.
"We are very grateful that no one else was injured in this incident," he said. "We are talking about an armed suspect running from police in the middle of the afternoon, running through a crowd at Walmart.”
LMPD released Brinkley’s name and personnel file Friday afternoon, which is standard policy when officers shoot someone. Brinkley has received six commendations since joining the department and has no disciplinary history.
The man who was driving the vehicle, Jeremy Bozarth, was arrested at the scene of the crash. Bozarth had multiple warrants out for his arrest when Kentucky State Police attempted to pull him over. He’s now facing additional charges, including driving on a suspended or revoked license, reckless driving and criminal mischief, according to court documents.
Allen will face eight charges once he leaves the hospital, including felony wanton endangerment, unlawful imprisonment and fleeing or evading. Wednesday’s shooting was not his first run-in with police. He has more than a dozen prior arrests for jumping bail, wanton endangerment and drug charges.
LMPD is expected to release body camera footage of the shooting within ten business days of the incident. It’s unclear if police will hold a press conference and take questions from the media when the video is released. The department recently changed its policies around how it communicates following police shootings.
