A year after deadly Kentucky police raid, the public is still demanding answers

Austin R. Ramsey, Lexington Herald-Leader on Dec 24, 2025

By clicking submit, I authorize Arcamax and its affiliates to: (1) use, sell, and share my information for marketing purposes, including cross-context behavioral advertising, as described in our Privacy Policy , (2) add to information that I provide with other information like interests inferred from web page views, or data lawfully obtained from data brokers, such as past purchase or location data, or publicly available data, (3) contact me or enable others to contact me by email or other means with offers for different types of goods and services, and (4) retain my information while I am engaging with marketing messages that I receive and for a reasonable amount of time thereafter. I understand I can opt out at any time through an email that I receive, or by clicking here

LEXINGTON, Ky. — Drivers along a stretch of Main Street near the intersection with West Dixie in London have grown accustomed to the sight of signs and battery-operated candles near the tire center, just down the road from the police station and city hall.

On the 23rd of every month, like clockwork, a line of people forms along the sidewalk there in the early evening to mark the death of a man they say was wrongly gunned down by police in a Laurel County search raid gone wrong.

This month was no different, aside from the sense of urgency among the few dozen protesters standing watch here. Dec. 23 marked one year since Douglas “Doug” Harless, a 63-year-old Lily man, was shot and killed by police in his home on Vanzant Road south of town. The investigation into his death continues.

Harless’ friends and family are demanding answers, however. Kentucky State Police say the agency has turned the case over to a special prosecutor, but charges have not been filed as of late December.

The state attorney general’s office appointed Russell and Wayne counties commonwealth’s attorney Matthew Leveridge to oversee the case earlier this year, but it is still unclear whether a grand jury has been empaneled to consider charges against any of the London Police Department officers involved in the 2024 shooting.

Leveridge did not immediately respond to a Herald-Leader request for comment.

The officer who shot and killed Harless has never been publicly identified, but they remain on administrative leave.

“I just want answers, accountability and action to make sure this doesn’t happen again,” said Jamie Burns, the Justice for Doug movement organizer who hosts the monthly vigils. “There should be policy and procedure changes, and to make sure they’re following the policies, and none of that’s really happening. There’s no changes happening.”

Tuesday’s vigil drew people to the small Laurel County city of about 7,500 from as far away as Utah because Harless’ killing speaks to a larger story about police accountability and distrust in America, Burns said.

In the year since the incident, local city politics have devolved into a showdown between a populist mayor and the city council that reached an apex this year when Mayor Randall Weddle was impeached and later reinstated.

Still, the council has made some improvements, including forcing the police department to reinstate the use of officer-worn body cameras, said Kelly Gibson, who was raised in London and makes the drive south back to her hometown each month to attend the vigils.

“We’re still not going away, even after a year later,” Gibson said. “We’re still going strong.”

Harless was shot in his double-wide mobile home at 511 Vanzant Road in rural Laurel County shortly before midnight Dec. 23, 2024, after police say he pointed a gun at them while they were conducting a search for stolen lawn equipment.

The original warrant, which still has not been made public, was reportedly listed for 489 Vanzant Road, which is where Harless’ house appears on local county property valuation administrator maps. A nearby mobile home that has a street address of 489 Vanzant appears on the PVA map as 525.

City officials told the Herald-Leader police used information from the 911 system and PVA to confirm the location when they prepared the original warrant. But the house numbers at the address police showed up to that night did not match, and it is still unclear where the discrepancy between those maps and the actual numbered addresses arose.

A follow-up KSP warrant, which has been reviewed by the Herald-Leader, says London police officers knocked on Harless’ door. The man allegedly acknowledged their presence but refused to open the door. After knocking several more times, officers broke the door and encountered Harless, who reportedly raised a pistol toward them.

He was shot by police with a rifle five times.

“For me to feel safe in my own home and for other people that I’ve talked to feel safe in their own homes, they need to have some conclusion to this, either a policy change or somebody held accountable,” said Elliott Stoddard, of Berea, who also makes regularly makes the trip to London to attend the evening vigils. “If we don’t have any change, then police can barge into anybody’s house at any time for any reason and shoot them dead.”