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Kentucky police released body camera footage on Friday, March 3, showing a Louisville Metropolitan Police officer shooting at two teenagers during a trespassing call. The cop has been identified as Brendan Kaiser. The incident reportedly happened on February 20.
In the bodycam footage, the Louisville cop can be seen approaching the garage of an empty property in Chickasaw in the 800 block of S. 38th Street. According to the department, the officer had his gun drawn because he could hear movement from inside the property and didn’t know if it was dangerous.
On Friday, the department released the footage for public viewing and claimed that nobody was hurt or injured in the incident. The two boys, however, mentioned that they were injured and checked into local hospitals to receive medical aid.
Louisville police released footage on Friday capturing a cop shooting two teenagers near the garage of an empty property
On February 20, a Louisville cop named Brendan Kaiser allegedly shot two teenagers, but it was considered “unintentional.” He allegedly ended up firing at them as they tried to escape the garage. The department stated in a news release,
“They could hear movement inside the garage and had drawn their weapon because they did not know who was inside, how many people were inside, and whether the individuals were armed.”
Kaiser was heard saying,
“They just tried to get out. We’re going to have multiple people. I just shut the garage door on them. I got them trapped in. I think they’re probably trying to get out the window.”
Shortly after that, the two teenagers, along with two other boys, tried to run away after opening the garage doors. As Kaiser tried to chase them down, his gun went off. Another officer who was present at the scene went to the back after the shooting but did not capture Kaiser firing his gun.
The boys claimed that they sustained injuries and checked in for medical assistance. The Louisville Police Department, however, claimed,
“Neither the officers nor the individual detained was hurt during the incident. Also, there was no evidence present at the scene that would’ve indicted that anyone had been injured.”
However, Sam Aguiar, the attorney representing the injured teens, mentioned that the Louisville cop had a history of using excessive force. He said,
“This officer has a history of red flag behavior. The department needs to explain immediately why his prior incidents didn’t prompt corrective action and training.”
In 2018, the Louisville police officer was accused of fatally shooting a man named Issac Jackson (42), who allegedly threw a knife at him. Kaiser, however, was exonerated of the charges.
He had also reportedly faced a brief suspension and had been cautioned several times for violating departmental policies, including de-escalation and “inappropriate force” on a juvenile. According to his personnel file, he had been reprimanded for several incidents and was considered to be at fault. These incidents included several car crashes and missing a court date.
According to LMPD Deputy Chief, the boys were shot but were doing fine
LMPD took around 11 days to release the body camera footage. However, initially, most of the footage would be released within 24 hours of the concerned incident. According to the Louisville Police Department, the delay happened because the officers were conducting interviews.
Angela Ingram, the LMPD Public Affairs Manager, spoke on behalf of the department and said,
“LMPD has been transparent from the beginning of the investigation. After piecing together the evidence, the police department self-reported that an officer was involved in a shooting, despite the individuals who were shot repeatedly denying they were at the location where the shooting occurred.”
A press conference took place on February 21, where LMPD Deputy Chief Paul Humphrey said that they are looking into the matter. He further mentioned that, despite being shot, the two boys have been doing alright. He has not revealed whether the teenagers will face any charges. Authorities were further informed that a stolen car was recovered from the scene.
While the teens complained and reported the injuries they sustained, the police claimed that the boys were giving “conflicting statements.”
LMPD was initially working on the investigation before handing the case over to Kentucky State Police officials. They are further handing the case over to the Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office to get it reviewed. According to KSP Sgt. Matt Sudduth,
“KSP works with local law enforcement departments to provide assistance when requested. A decision was made after a discussion between the two agencies and based on many factors, including the details surrounding the incident, the number of open cases currently being investigated by CIRT, the local post, personnel availability, and services being requested.”
Brendan Kaiser was hired in 2016 and is currently on administrative leave due to the ongoing investigation of the shooting.
