Former prosecutors call for public release of records in Laurel County police shooting case

LONDON, KY. (ABC36 NEWS NOW) – Two former Commonwealth Attorneys are calling for more information to be publicly released in connection with the death of Douglas Harless in Laurel County.

Former Commonwealth’s Attorney Tom Handy and former Commonwealth’s Attorney and Circuit Judge Danny Evans outlined a series of documents and investigative details they say should be filed with the Laurel County Circuit Court Clerk following a grand jury’s decision not to indict anyone in the case.

The Laurel County grand jury returned no indictment on February 20, 2026, in the case involving the death of Harless, who was shot and killed by the London Police Department in his home on December 23, 2024.

In the letter sent to Kentucky State Police, the United States Attorney Office and the Office of the Attorney General states that officials acknowledged police did not have legal authority to enter Harless’ home and that an officer shot and killed him, but the authors argue that only limited information has been released to the public about the incident.

Handy and Evans say several documents and investigative findings should be filed with the Laurel Circuit Court to provide transparency about the case. The list includes eight specific items they believe should be made public.

Former prosecutors Tom Handy and Danny Evans say several key documents and investigative details should be filed with the Laurel County Circuit Court Clerk and made available to the public. They argue the records should include the search warrant affidavit, the search warrant itself and the final Kentucky State Police investigative report. The letter also calls for disclosure of the evidence that led officers to enter Douglas Harless’ home late at night, as well as clarification about the investigation that prompted the search.

The former Commonwealth Attorneys say the public should also be told which officers were involved, how entry into the home was carried out, and which officers fired their weapons. They are asking for statements from officers present during the shooting, details about where Harless was positioned when he was shot, whether he pointed or fired a weapon, and the results of ballistic testing. The letter further requests information about what officers did immediately after the shooting, the crime police say they were investigating that night, and whether the City of London or the London Police Department has taken any action regarding Harless’ family or acknowledged any potential wrongdoing.

At the end of the letter, Handy and Evans emphasize their belief that deaths involving law enforcement require transparency and full disclosure to maintain public trust. They write that incidents involving deaths at the hands of law enforcement “require and deserve openness and full reporting to the public,” adding they see no reason to deny the release of information surrounding the case.

They also argue that silence from investigators in such cases undermines trust in law enforcement and say there is no acceptable reason to withhold facts about the circumstances surrounding the death of a man in his own home.

ABC 36 News Now has reached out to the London Police Department for comment, but no response has been made at this time.