Bodycam Shows Vicious Shooting of Ky. Police Officer During Stop
Body camera footage was released of a brutal ambush shooting that critically wounded a Kentucky police officer earlier this month.
The newly released video shows the attack on Louisville Police Officer Brandon Haley after he pulled over a vehicle at around 2:30 a.m. Sept. 7. Gunfire erupted from a nearby home, and Haley was shot in the chest as he approached the vehicle he had stopped, the Louisville Courier Journal reports.
After Haley was shot, another officer, Colin Billotto, quickly dragged the wounded officer for nearly a block to a more secure location and performed life-saving measures on him. Both officers were able to return fire in the incident.
"To be clear, the individuals involved in this incident not only critically injured Officer Haley but they also endangered Officer Billotto's life and they placed everyone in that neighborhood in danger by repeatedly shooting in a densely populated area," Chief Jacquelyn Gwinn-Villaroel said at the news conference.
Five people have been taken into custody in connection with the incident, but no one has been charged with the actual shooting.
According to police, Haley pulled his cruiser near a white vehicle that had no lights on and had driven up to a sidewalk. Two people jumped out of the vehicle and began fleeing.
Haley began running toward the vehicle when shots were fired from a nearby house. The officer was struck, and he fires back as he falls to the ground and more shots ring out.
Backup officers arrived at the scene to help Billotto, and Haley was rushed to the hospital. A "confusing" and "very chaotic" standoff ensued, and five men were apprehended by a SWAT unit after several hours.
The suspects face multiple drug and gun charges. As of Wednesday, no one has been charged with shooting Haley.
Haley continues to recover in the hospital and was recently taken off a ventilator. He is no longer in critical condition.
"We're incredibly grateful that he was not killed that night," said Gwinn-Villaroel. "Officer Haley is fighting to get stronger each day, so he can rejoin his fellow officers as we work towards the goal of keeping Louisville's communities as safe as possible."
