XPost: alt.law-enforcement, alt.fan.states.kentucky, sac.politics
XPost: alt.society.liberalism

LAUREL COUNTY, Ky. (LEX 18) — There are a lot of questions surrounding
the deadly shooting of a 61-year-old Laurel County man this week, by
London police officers who say they were there to serve a search warrant.

"I heard five shots," says a neighbor, who does not want to be
identified. "At least five shots. Woke me up. I was laying on the couch."

Neighbors are still in disbelief and looking for answers as to why
London Police were at the door of 61-year-old Doug Harless the night of December 23rd.
One neighbor walked us through what they say happened that night.

"My wife looked out the back door and said, Doug's house is all lit up.
At that time, we had seen several cop cars up and down the road and I
contacted his daughter. She sent her husband out here to find out that
her dad was deceased. The cops had shot him."

London Police say they were attempting to execute a search warrant at a
home on Vanzant Rd. In Laurel County.

In a press release, officers say Harless pointed a gun at officers, and
that's when an officer opened fire. Harless died as a result.

"But now everything is breaking out, whether the search warrant was for
489, which is right here on this corner, two doors down from Doug. They
are looking for the guy that lives there in that house for a stolen weed eater."

Neighbors say Harless was a victim, not a criminal.

Carl Merritt and his wife live just across the road and caught the
shooting on their surveillance camera.

"Well it shows on the camera that there were police officers on his
porch and they announced that they were there," explained Merritt. "They
banged and banged and banged, until they finally made their way through
the man's door and with not even making it completely through the door,
they shot him. I mean it was just that quick."

Merritt says Kentucky State Police now has that surveillance footage.

Family and friends of Harless, as well as the community, are looking for justice.

"He was a very quiet, humble person," says Merritt. "Stayed to himself,
never bothered nobody. For something like that to happen to that poor
man, it hurts me really. To think that somebody like that, especially in
my backyard, being shot you know? In his own home."

London Mayor, Randall Weddle, released this statement:

The London City Police has released a statement, and my office will
closely follow the investigation being conducted by the Kentucky State
Police. My heart goes out to everyone affected by this incident. The
family and friends of the individual remain in our thoughts and prayers
as well as the officers involved.

I want to remind everyone that this is an open investigation, so I am
limited in what I can say at this time. Let's allow the Kentucky State
Police to thoroughly investigate this situation.

https://www.lex18.com/news/covering-kentucky/neighbors-police-killed-man-after-serving-warrant-to-wrong-home

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