During a special called meeting of the London City Council Monday, acting Chief of Police for the London City Police Department, Bobby Day, offered comments concerning the ongoing investigation into the shooting death of 63-year-old Doug Harless, of Lily.
On the night of Dec. 23, 2024, Harless was shot inside of his home, located on Vanzant Road, by London Police while officers were attempting to execute a search warrant. He succumbed to his injuries, and was pronounced dead at the scene by the Laurel County Coroner’s Office.
Kentucky State Police launched an investigation into the incident soon after, but details of that investigation have not yet been made public.
The now-former LPD Chief of Police, Jerry Hollon, announced his resignation recently, and with pressure continuing to mount from community members who are demanding answers, acting Chief Day stepped up to the podium Monday to offer the first public comments on the matter in months.
“I’ll be giving you an update on the Vanzant Road shooting investigation,” Day began. “According to my updates from the Kentucky State Police, a thorough and detailed investigation has been underway since the incident. This has included numerous interviews, the submission of physical evidence for forensic testing, and consultation with the medical examiner. At this stage, much of that work has been completed.”
“Currently, the investigators are carefully reviewing all test results, forensic findings, and the finalized autopsy report, alongside the full body of facts gathered,” Day continued. “This also includes hours of recorded interviews that must be reviewed, transcribed, and properly memorialized within the investigative report.”
“It is important to understand that, while we recognize the community’s desire for answers, the timeliness of the results is second to the completeness and the accuracy of this investigation. The ultimate goal is an investigation that is clear, thorough, and fully representative of the facts. This is precisely why the Kentucky State Police, an agency independent of the London Police Department, was tasked with handling this investigation by our agency. Their role is to conduct a fair, impartial, and professional review of all the circumstances involved.”
“Once this review is complete, the findings will be submitted to the appropriate prosecuting attorney, and, if deemed warranted, the matter will then be presented to a grand jury for review and consideration. We remain committed to seeing this process through with the seriousness, fairness, and objectivity that it demands,” Day concluded.
The comments drew a round of applause from many of those who were in attendance at the meeting.
In addition to Hollon’s resignation, London Mayor Randall Weddle also informed the council about the recent resignations of councilwoman Holly Little and City Clerk Katelin McPeek. This follows the resignation of former councilman Kip Jervis in January.
Current acting London City Council members are Stacy Benge, Anthony Ortega, Kelly Greene, Justin Young and Judd Weaver.
