Kentucky State Police search warrants shed light on Laurel Co. fatal police shooting
Kentucky State Police collected many pieces of evidence that could lead to greater understanding of what happened the night police shot and killed a 63-year-old man at his Laurel County home, according to official records.
The KSP is investigating the Dec. 23 fatal police shooting of Douglas Harless by a London Police Department officer. Officers were attempting to execute a search warrant in an investigation of stolen lawn equipment in Lily, an unincorporated area of Laurel County. However, records indicate they intended to search a different home about 250 feet away.
KSP Detective James Royal executed a search warrant on Dec. 24, according to a copy reviewed by the Herald-Leader. During the search, Royal obtained five spent .223 shell casings, a Taurus nine-millimeter handgun and handgun holster, a projectile, light bulb security camera and a cell phone.
Royal also received additional permission to search a memory card, a Nokia cell phone that belonged to Harless and aerial photos from a drone of the Vanzant Road property.
Royal wrote in the search warrant the light bulb camera and cell phone could show the interactions between Harless and the officers on scene the night of the shooting.
The shooting happened late Dec. 23 at 511 Vanzant Road. London police previously said an officer opened fire on Harless after he pointed a gun at police who were serving the search warrant.
But dispatch records show police requested assistance that night at least five times to 489 Vanzant Road.
What’s relevance of the items seized during KSP’s investigation?
One of the items recovered from the scene during KSP’s investigation was Harless’ cell phone. Official records say his phone was connected to a light bulb security camera that was connected to a light fixture on Harless’ front porch.
Official records say the camera was functioning and believed to have captured interactions between Harless and the officers. The camera also was seized as evidence.
Royal also recovered a nine-millimeter handgun, handgun holster and five spent .223 shell casings, according to official records. A handgun was found in close proximity to Harless after the shooting.
Royal also obtained a memory card with surveillance footage from a nearby home that captured the events leading up to the shooting. Official records say the owners of the footage allowed KSP detectives to review the footage and take it as evidence.
What does KSP’s warrant say what happened?
KSP was called to investigate the shooting, as is procedure when law enforcement officials are involved. Officials records say Royal went to the scene and was caught up on what happened from London Police Lt. Andrew Jackson.
Jackson told Royal officers were investigating a report of stolen lawn and garden equipment and the investigation led them to Vanzant Road.
Officers intended to serve a search warrant and announced themselves as law enforcement after knocking on Harless’ front door around 11:48 p.m., the warrant says.
Harless acknowledged police’s presence but refused to answer the door, Royal wrote. Officers continued to knock, to no answer, and eventually decided to make entry into the home, he wrote in the sworn affidavit.
Officers breached the front door and saw Harless armed with a handgun, according to Royal’s affidavit. He raised the gun, Royal wrote, and an officer responded by firing multiple shots from his patrol rifle at Harless.
Hobert Buttery, 49, is accused of stealing a heater and a weed eater from a London house the day before the shooting.
Police arrested Buttery at 7:34 p.m. on Dec. 23 in nearby Clay County, a little more than four hours before the shooting occurred. The house belongs to Laurel County Judge-Executive David Westerfield, but the stolen items belonged to Westerfield’s tenant.
Buttery told authorities he took the lawn maintenance tool to a home in Lily.
Court records show Buttery previously used the address 515 Vanzant Road as recently as October 2023.
This story was originally published January 3, 2025 at 12:30 PM.
