Grand jury declines to indict London police officers in Doug Harless shooting
A Laurel County grand jury declined to indict anyone Friday morning in the high-profile shooting death of a Lily man during a December 2024 raid.
London Police Department Detective Josh Morgan was cleared of any suspected wrongdoing related to shooting of Douglas “Doug” Harless, 63, who was shot and killed by officers in his home on Vanzant Road south of town just two days before Christmas 2024.
The grand jury considered charges of murder, first-degree manslaughter, second-degree manslaughter and reckless homicide, according to a copy of the no true bill obtained by the Herald-Leader.
In the aftermath of the shooting, the public has raised significant concerns about whether officers visited the wrong address when executing a search warrant for stolen lawn equipment.
Until Friday, the officers who fired on Harless have never been identified, but Morgan was named in a wrongful death lawsuit filed against the department by his family.
Russell and Wayne counties commonwealth’s attorney Matthew Leveridge was appointed by the state attorney general’s office to oversee the case last year. Now, the case Leveridge was exploring against Morgan has been dropped. No charges were filed.
“The grand jury was provided with everything we know at this point, and this is what they decided,” Leveridge told the Herald-Leader.
An internal investigation will continue
No other individuals were indicted by the grand jury Friday in connection to the Harless’ death either, and the criminal case is effectively closed, barring any additional evidence, Leveridge said.
London Mayor Randall Weddle took to Facebook Friday following the proceedings pledging the city and police department will conduct its own internal administrative review of the shooting to determine whether officers’ actions complied with departmental policies and procedures.
Weddle said he “recognizes the seriousness of this incident and remains committed to a thorough, fair, and transparent review process.” The city will make its findings public once the review is complete, he said.
The London Police Department issued a statement saying it is awaiting release of the investigative file from the Kentucky State Police to begin its administrative review.
The grand jury returned “no true bill,” meaning it did not believe there was enough evidence to indict, and no charges will be filed.
A grand jury consists of 12 people. In order to secure an indictment, nine must agree on the charges. The group determines probable cause in order to send a defendant to the circuit court.
What happened in the case
Harless was shot in his double-wide mobile home at 511 Vanzant Road in rural Laurel County shortly before midnight Dec. 23, 2024, after police say he pointed a gun at them while they were conducting a search for stolen lawn equipment.
The original warrant, which still has not been made public, reportedly listed 489 Vanzant Road, which is where Harless’ house appears on local county property valuation administrator maps. A nearby mobile home that has a street address of 489 Vanzant appears on the PVA map as 525.
City officials told the Herald-Leader police used information from the 911 system and PVA to confirm the location when they prepared the original warrant. But the house numbers at the address police showed up to that night did not match, and it is still unclear where the discrepancy between those maps and the actual numbered addresses arose.
A follow-up KSP warrant, which has been reviewed by the Herald-Leader, says London police officers knocked on Harless’ door. The man allegedly acknowledged their presence but refused to open the door. After knocking several more times, officers broke the door and encountered Harless, who allegedly raised a pistol toward them.
He was shot by police with a rifle five times.
City remains under investigation
Harless’ death became a point of contention in local politics, dividing the London City Council and Weddle’s administration on how the investigation should be handled. The council voted to implement body worn cameras to its police force as a result.
The FBI and city council launched separate investigations this month into Weddle and his administration, particularly over the police department’s alleged misuse of federal criminal database software.
Emails obtained by the Herald-Leader reveal KSP concluded that “recent findings of misuse” had occurred with the police department’s handling of the National Crime Information Center database, forcing officials to place the department under the highest affordable sanction, essentially cutting the agency off from all access to federal crime information databases.
The London-Laurel County dispatch center transferred sponsorship of the database from the city police department to the county sheriff’s office shortly after the KSP announced its decision.
The city council released a statement Friday, saying the grand jury’s decision in the Harless case “is not the end of this story. It is not a statement that Doug Harless’s life mattered any less.”
Weddle and the London Police Department did not immediately respond to a Herald-Leader request for comment Friday.
This story was originally published February 20, 2026 at 10:32 AM.
