Judge temporarily blocks release of KY State Police records on Harless shooting
A Franklin Circuit Court judge on Monday temporarily blocked the Kentucky State Police from releasing documents related to its investigation into the fatal London Police Department shooting of a Laurel County man in 2024.
The KSP’s investigative file has been the subject of an intense tug-of-war between the City of London and attorneys for the family of Douglas “Doug” Harless, who London Police shot and killed during a botched raid minutes before Christmas Eve 2024.
City police, operating well outside their territorial boundaries and reportedly armed with a warrant for a different house, knocked down his door and gunned him down when he allegedly pointed a gun at them. A Laurel County grand jury last month declined to indict any of the officers involved in the incident, setting off new calls for justice from the family, community members and county officials.
Now that the investigation is effectively closed, KSP’s records should be subject to open records laws in Kentucky. But requesters are competing with the City of London and London Police Department itself, both of which have indicated they want to conduct an internal investigation that could once again shield the investigative file from public scrutiny.
Attorneys for the Harless family sued KSP last week in an effort to force the agency to hand over its records before it gives them to local cops. The court sided with the family, blocking that transfer while the legal process unfolds. The court now awaits the KSP’s response to the complaint on the merits of the case.
The Harless family is already pursuing a wrongful death suit against the City of London. The family alleges police acted recklessly by failing to verify the address they had a warrant for before barging into Harless’ rural Laurel County home.
