KSP troopers under investigation for shooting into neighbors’ apartment back on patrol, neighbors suing police

LA GRANGE, Ky. (WAVE) - The Kentucky State Police troopers under investigation for shooting a bullet into their neighbor’s apartment in mid-November are back to work, according to a department spokesperson.

On November 16th, Oldham County Sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to the Todd family’s apartment in the Oldham Oaks complex.

According to the police report, the 911 caller reported one shot was fired into the ceiling of his apartment just feet from where one of his daughters was sitting. All three of the family’s children were home at the time, but no one was physically injured.

When deputies arrived, they spoke with the victim’s upstairs neighbors, Trooper Landon Terry and Trooper Dustin Gross. The troopers told investigators the shot was not intentional.

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However, it is the troopers’ response or lack thereof that is the focus of an internal investigation.

After the gun went off, Gross and Terry did not go downstairs to see if their neighbors were okay, according to police.

"We would expect anybody who is involved in a similar situation, whether they be a police officer, civilian, trooper or otherwise, that if they are involved in such an incident, that their first thought would be to go downstairs and check on the safety of those below them,” Sgt. Josh Lawson said a few days after the incident.

Initially, Gross and Terry were off work while the case was being reviewed, but Lawson said they are working their regular patrol shifts again.

While the internal affairs investigation has made progress, they have not reached a conclusion yet.

Lawson explained unless the act is egregious, they cannot be suspended until the conclusion of the investigation. He said this is standard for KSP internal investigations.

While the Todd family awaits the results of the investigation, they have hired a lawyer and filed a lawsuit against the department and the troopers.

“It’s clearly negligent, if not intentional, infliction of emotional distress because now here they are living in an apartment where their sense of security has been shattered,” said the attorney representing the Todd family, Brad Harville.

Harville said the family’s main concern is the impact this will have on their young daughters. He said the emotional distress is further aggravated by the lack of answers they have received.

“There’s been a complete lack of transparency as far as what actually caused this to happen,” Harville said. “Any dialogue with the Todd’s as far as what the Kentucky State Police could do to make this right has been non-existent, so we just went forward with the decision to file the lawsuit to have some dialogue about this and to get some answers as to what happened.”

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