Louisville Metro Police officers shot and killed a 28-year-old woman on Friday after she allegedly charged at them with a sharp object during an incident at an apartment complex near Jeffersontown. Deputy Chief Emily McKinley said patrol officers responded to the 9800 block of Vieux Carre Drive at 7:45 p.m. on a report of a person “experiencing a mental health or behavioral health crisis.”
The Incident
Upon arrival, officers learned that the woman had self-inflicted lacerations and was armed with a piece of glass or edged weapon while locked in a bathroom. The woman was described as “highly agitated, incoherent and making suicidal statements.” Officers at the scene “attempted to deescalate through verbal communication” and requested that other responding officers bring “less lethal tools.”
Deputy Chief McKinley noted that because there was a weapon and other people present, the situation “did not meet the criteria for deflection or a mobile crisis response.” Crews with the Anchorage-Middletown Fire Department responded and forced entry into the bathroom. When the door was opened, McKinley said the woman exited and “charged at officers with a large, sharp object.” Two officers fired their weapons, striking the woman. She was transported to University of Louisville Hospital where she was pronounced dead.
Investigation and Follow-up
Louisville Metro Police Department’s Public Integrity unit is investigating the shooting. The officers who fired their weapons have been placed on administrative leave per department policy. Additional information and body camera footage from the incident will be made public within 10 business days.
This article is an AI-assisted summary. All facts and figures are drawn from the original report: https://www.wdrb.com/news/crime-reports/louisville-police-say-officers-fatally-shot-woman-in-mental-health-crisis-who-charged-at-them/article_358f206b-9063-473b-bbb3-e8f1394dac51.html