Video released by the Louisville Metro Police Department Wednesday sheds new light on a Nov. 19 shooting in the Smoketown neighborhood.
The footage, which includes video taken by a bystander, shows officers arriving at a townhome near Meyzeek Middle School in response to an anonymous tip about a stolen vehicle.
Officers stopped a man, later identified as 19-year-old Jeremiah Thompson, as he walks away from the car. After confirming the vehicle was stolen, officers take Thompson to the ground and try to put him in cuffs. Thompson’s handgun goes off once during the struggle, injuring him and officers Brendan Koerner and Lazman Acharya.
LMPD Chief Paul Humphrey said at a news conference the dispute over what caused the gun to go off — whether Thompson pulled the trigger or not — is “semantics.”
“If the suspect had cooperated, he wouldn’t have gotten shot and the officers wouldn’t have gotten shot,” Humphrey said. “So, regardless of the semantics of it, he’s at fault in this situation.”
Thompson’s defense attorney, John Olash, argued in court Tuesday that an officer’s baton caused the gun to go off, according to a report from WLKY. Olash has also accused officers of violating protocol and needlessly escalating the encounter.
Humphrey did not speculate on the direct cause of shooting, saying it’d be inappropriate because of the pending legal case.
The video released by LMPD shows officers grappling with Thompson for more than two minutes before the shooting, trying to pull his hands behind his back. Thompson was lying face down on the grass with the gun underneath him. Officers did not know Thompson had a gun, according to LMPD.
A single bullet passed through Thompson’s wrist and arm, then through Koener’s hand and Acharya’s leg. After the gunshot, other officers at the scene applied gauze to Thompson’s arm and provided first aid to Koener and Acharya.
Both officers have been released from the hospital and are recovering at home, LMPD officials said. Thompson is being held at downtown jail. He’s facing five charges, including resisting arrest, receiving stolen property and 1st degree assault.
Humphrey said the shooting has been referred to LMPD’s internal performance review board. It will also be investigated internally by the Public Integrity Unit and reviewed by the Professional Standards Unit.
“Any time we have an incident like this, this is a moment that we should learn something from it and improve,” he said.
So far this year, Louisville has had 137 homicides and 344 nonfatal shootings. That represents a slight decrease in homicides compared to this same point in 2023, and a 10% drop in non-fatal shootings.
Police have closed just 46 homicides this year, either by arrest or the death of the suspect, according to LMPD.
