Kentucky police fatally shoot man while serving warrant at wrong home

Police in Kentucky recently shot a man to death in his home while they executed a search warrant that appears to have been intended for a different address.

Doug Harless, 63, lived in London, a southern Kentucky town of about 8,000 residents, and was killed by police officers at his home at 511 Vanzant Road on the night of 23 December. However, audio from local Laurel county emergency dispatchers – and obtained by Kentucky news stations – shows that the search warrant was intended for 489 Vanzant Road, as was repeated multiple times on a recording of the audio.

The owner of 489 Vanzant Road told news station WKYT that no one had lived at that address for months.

The Guardian contacted Kentucky state police – which is investigating the London police’s killing of Harless – but did not immediately receive a response.

Surveillance video provided to local news by Harless’s neighbor showed officers arriving at his home at about 11.50pm, banging on the door and announcing themselves over the sound of barking dogs. The video shows officers moved around the perimeter of the house – with others on the porch – before the sound of five gunshots erupted. Separately, a voice is heard on dispatch audio saying: “Shots fired. 489 Vanzant Road.” Harless received medical attention at the scene but died there.

Police initially did not say whether Harless was armed. But, in a press release three days after the shooting, police alleged that he “produced a firearm and pointed it at officers”.

As the investigation continues, residents of the small town said they were struggling with Harless’s killing and the questions that remain over it.

According to Harless’s obituary from Hart Funeral Home in Corbin, Kentucky, he left behind a daughter, grandson and five siblings – as well as a daughter and grandson described as “bonus”, which is a term often used for stepchildren and step-grandchildren. A comment left on the obituary page reads: “So sorry! What happened was insane!”

Neighbors and friends told local news stations that they believe Harless was a victim and not a criminal. “He’s a great man. He didn’t deserve that,” his longtime friend Shane Cornett told WKYT.

The officer who fatally shot Harless is on administrative leave, as is standard in such cases, local news outlets reported.

The Harless case bears at least a slight resemblance to the March 2020 police killing of 26-year-old Breonna Taylor, which also took place in Kentucky and involved a botched execution of a warrant.

In the Taylor case, Louisville metro police forced entry into her home on a “no-knock warrant” as part of a drug-related investigation.

Taylor and her boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, were sleeping when officers entered close to 1am. Walker has said he did not hear officers announce themselves, though they maintain they did – and he fired one shot at what he thought was intruders. Walker’s shot hit one officer in the leg, and officers answered by firing at least 32 shots into the apartment. Walker was not hurt, but Taylor was killed.

Brett Hankinson, the only officer charged who was at the scene of the deadly raid, was found guilty in federal court in November on one count of civil rights abuse against Taylor for having fired shots into her windows, which were covered by blinds and blackout curtains. His sentencing is tentatively scheduled for 12 March, according to the US justice department.

Meanwhile, other officers are facing trial for falsifying information that led armed officers to Taylor’s home, which they allegedly had no legal reason to search.

The former detective Joshua Jaynes, 40, and sergeant Kyle Meany, 35, are charged with federal civil rights and obstruction offenses for preparing and approving a falsified affidavit that resulted in the warrant on Taylor’s apartment, ultimately leading to her death.

Another former Louisville metro detective, Kelly Goodlett, has already pleaded guilty to conspiring with Jaynes to falsify the affidavit and to cover up their actions after Taylor’s death. A sentencing hearing is tentatively scheduled for 29 April.