Kentucky man fatally shot by a deputy after charging at him with knives, police say
A Kentucky man was shot and killed Thursday night by a Grayson County sheriff’s deputy after he allegedly charged at him with knives, according to Kentucky State Police.
Brian Abbott, 34, died at the scene after being shot three times during a standoff with two deputies, state police said. Abbott was wanted for probation violations, state Trooper Scott Sharp said.
Abbott was a convicted rapist and sexual abuser, according to state court records and the state sex offender registry. He served four years in prison before being granted probation in 2019, according to state records. His victim was 15 years old, according to the state’s sex offender registry.
Abbott had absconded, according to state offender records.
The altercation started when deputies found out Abbott was in Caneyville, state police said. They made contact with him at his home on North Main Street and found he was armed with two knives, state police said. The address for Abbott on the sex offender registry corresponded to the Caneyville location.
Abbott allegedly refused to drop the knives and eventually charged at the deputies, state police said. One of the two deputies involved fired, state police said.
State police said they were alerted to the shooting at about 10:20 p.m.
Abbott’s body was scheduled for an autopsy at the state medical examiner’s office. Neither of the deputies was injured, and both were placed on administrative leave, a standard practice while the shooting is investigated. A Kentucky State Police detective was investigating.
“The names of the deputies will not be released for a few days to allow them to be interviewed by investigators and also allow both officers’ family time to be notified,” Sharp said.
This story was originally published January 22, 2021 at 10:32 AM.