Bystander video will be part of investigation after police shoot, kill Central Kentucky man
Kentucky State Police have confirmed they are using video taken by a bystander as evidence in their investigation into the death of Desman LaDuke, a 22-year-old who was shot and killed by Nicholasville police last week.
LaDuke, a resident of Nicholasville, was shot and killed by an unknown member of the Nicholasville Police Department on Oct. 22 after police were called to his home for a welfare check. In the video, which has gone viral online, footage shows several officers outside of the home. Some of them are pointing guns toward the house. A shot is fired, followed by frantic screams.
The video had been shared to social media repeatedly, including by writer and activist Shaun King.
Trooper Justin Kearney, public information officer for Kentucky State Police Post 7, said state police were aware of the video circulating on social media and they would be using it as a part of their investigation.
“The Kentucky State Police (KSP) is aware of the video depicting a portion of the officer-involved shooting incident involving the Nicholasville Police Department that occurred on October 22nd. The video will be included in the investigation which remains ongoing,” Kearney said in an emailed statement to the Herald-Leader.
Kearney said the investigation is active, and “investigators are working hard.” He said once state police are prepared and able, they will release more information.
“KSP has statewide jurisdiction and investigates officer-involved shootings throughout the Commonwealth as requested by local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies,” Kearney wrote. “KSP is committed to being transparent while ensuring the integrity of the investigation.
“To protect the integrity of an ongoing investigation, it is KSP’s standard operating procedure not to release specific details until vital witnesses have been interviewed and pertinent facts gathered. Timelines to complete investigations vary based on the complexity of the case.”
Sam Wade, a public information officer for Nicholasville police, said the Nicholasville Police Department was aware of the video and it has been turned over to state police “in the interest of transparency and accountability.
Wade declined to comment on whether or not the officers involved in the shooting were still on-duty officers. No names of the officers involved have been released.
Family refutes claims made by police, calls for answers
In a statement released last week and provided to media outlets, including WLEX18, LaDuke’s family refuted initial claims made by the Nicholasville Police Department and Kentucky State Police regarding the circumstances of the shooting.
State police previously said the initial investigation indicated Nicholasville police responded to a suicidal subject on Green Street where they allegedly found LaDuke armed.
LaDuke was taken to the hospital after the shooting, which occurred in Jessamine County just before 1:30 p.m. on Oct. 22. According to the coroner’s office, LaDuke died nearly four hours after the incident.
LaDuke’s family said that on the day the shooting occurred, LaDuke was struggling with the desire to live, and the family called police to ask for help.
They said police responded by sending a SWAT unit and nine different officers in tactical gear who surrounded LaDuke’s home and pointed assault rifles at the doors and windows.
“Desman was alone in his home and inside his bedroom when he was shot, through the bedroom window, by a police officer positioned outside the home,” the family said in a statement. “Any suggestion that officers made entry into Desman’s home, were (threatened) inside the home by Desman, and shot Desman from inside the home, are false.”
The family’s statement said the woman who raised LaDuke since his mother’s death in 2011 was on the scene and she begged and pleaded for SWAT to stand down.
“She insisted that she be allowed to go into the home to talk to Desman, to hug him, and to tell him everything would be OK. This request was not only denied, but also came with a direct warning to Melissa that she would be tackled if she tried to go and talk to her son,” the family said in a release.
After an hour and a half, while Desman was inside his home by himself, the family said an officer shot through his bedroom window and struck him in the chest.
“Officers made entry and then proceeded to drag Desman across the ground through the bedroom, the hallway, the living room, and the kitchen. Officers left a trail of blood on the floor for the family to discover later,” the family said in a statement.
The release says nearly 20 officers entered the home and cursed at LaDuke, telling him to show his hands, and yelled “that it was his fault.”
LaDuke’s family said he attended East Jessamine High School, where he played running back for the football team. They said he was good with children and was a hard worker.
“He would do anything for anyone. He had no criminal record. We have had former teachers, friends, and coworkers of Desman reach out to us since Saturday to share their memories made with him,” the family said. “They are all positive and full of love, unselfishness and joy.”
LaDuke’s family said they are devastated, confused and angry. They’ve been in search of more answers.
“Since Saturday, nobody from the police department has come to express condolences. Nobody has given us any answers as to why they took Desman’s life. Desman needed help. He did not harm anyone,” the family said in a release.
“He was alone in his home. Nine rifles being pointed at his doors and windows by officers in tactical gear did not do anything to diffuse what was an obvious mental health crisis. A tactical shot through a window into Desman’s chest was not the solution.”
An attorney for the family said Monday morning that the family stands by what was said in the statement, which was put out Oct. 25.
This story was originally published October 31, 2022 at 1:25 PM.
