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Witness video shows the moment two police officers were shot in Louisville
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Witness video shows the moment two police officers were shot in Louisville

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WAVE) – WAVE News has obtained new video that shows what happened in the moments leading up to the shooting of two Louisville police officers in the Smoketown neighborhood on November 19th.

In court Thursday, the attorney for 19-year-old Jeremiah Thompson said they had video evidence that the shooting only happened because police did not follow protocol.

Police said Thompson admitted to being in the driver’s seat when officers pulled over a stolen Kia with several people inside on Tuesday. The arrest report said Thompson resisted as they took him to the ground. Officers said he failed to give them his hands and fired a shot that hit himself in the torso and arm, one officer in the hand and another in the knee.

Thompson’s attorney John Olash said they have video that tells a different story.

“The officers never asked him to show his hands or if he had any weapons,” Olash said. “They just went straight to reaching under him.”

Thompson appeared in court Thursday with his right arm in a sling.

Olash said the video does not match the arrest citation, which states “…the subject discharged a round from a Glock 26 with two serial numbers.”

“Jeremiah didn’t intend to hurt the officers. He certainly didn’t intend to shoot himself,” Olash said. “There’s a gun, a fight for guns, bad things happen, and the fight was prompted by the officers’ failure to follow their training. “

That video, obtained by WAVE News, shows Thompson being held on the ground by LMPD officers. Police say he resisted after getting stuck in a stolen vehicle. Then gunfire followed by lots of screaming.

The citation says Thompson resisted arrest. Before the shot is fired, Thompson can be seen being pinned down by Officer Brendan Koerner and a third officer wearing a hat

Officer Laxman Acharya runs in to help and begins to reach under Thompson. Acharya then takes out his police baton and uses it on Thompson’s right side, the same side Officer Koerner is on before a single shot is fired.

Officer Acharya was hit in the knee and Officer Koerner was shot in the right hand and required surgery. Both men are out of the hospital recovering and are at home on administrative leave.

It was only after the one shot that the video shows Officer Acharya with a gun in his hand.

During Wednesday’s biweekly news conference, LMPD Chief Paul Humphrey said neither officer fired their own weapon.

“We know that no officers fired their weapons,” Chief Paul Humphrey said. “However, all three injuries were caused during the altercation with the suspect.”

Thompson was arraigned on charges of reckless endangerment, receiving stolen property and resisting arrest, but attorneys disagree about exactly what happened and who is really to blame.

Thompson is currently being held on a $100,000 bond, despite the objections of his attorney. He is expected to be back in court in two weeks.

The video was not played during Thompson’s trial.

Olash says based on what he’s seen, Thompson shouldn’t be charged with shooting the officers.

“The court and the prosecutor, they don’t want to see a video,” Olash said. “They just want to rely on a police report, and LMPD has a history of writing reports that don’t always, don’t always match the video evidence, and this is another case where the video evidence proves my client is innocent.”