FRANKFORT, KY (WAVE) – A preliminary internal investigation
into the shooting death of a suspect by Frankfort Police has found that
officers used reasonable force in the incident and were in compliance with
department policies and procedures.
Investigators said at 9:15 p.m. on Sunday, December 30,
police received a 911 call from a woman claiming a man had trapped her inside a
home on Winding Way Drive, pointed a gun at her and threatened to shoot anyone
who entered the house.
When officers arrived on the scene, they contacted the woman
by phone. She told them she had secured herself away from the suspect in a
separate area of the house.
The Tactical Response and Hostage Negotiations Units arrived
and surrounded the house.
Police said the suspect then came out of the house
unexpectedly, carrying a handgun. The investigation found that officers told
the man multiple times to drop his weapon, but he pointed it at them instead, leading
the officers to shoot and kill him.
The officers involved in the shooting are identified as Todd
Smither, 31, who joined the Frankfort Police Department in 2011 and was
assigned to the Tactical Response Unit in 2007, and Billy Graves, 30, who
joined the department in 2011 and was assigned to the Tactical Response Unit in 2012.
Kentucky State Police are continuing to investigate the
incident. The results will be forwarded to the office of Franklin County
Commonwealth's Attorney Larry Cleveland.
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