Desman Laduke family continues to seek answers three months later
For the fourth time, the group protested through the streets on Sunday, still pushing for the release of police body cam footage
NICHOLASVILLE, Ky (WTVQ)- It’s been exactly three months since 22-year-old Desman Laduke was shot and killed by Nicholasville police during a mental crisis situation at his home on Green Street.
Laduke’s family and friends continue to seek answers and justice as they come to grips with the first holiday season without him.
“They say it gets easier, but emotions come in waves. It wasn’t something we could exactly celebrate. Its’ just different, you know. Just different,” says Melissa Marks, the mother figure in Desman’s life and his aunt.
For the fourth time, the group protested through the streets on Sunday, still pushing for the release of police body cam footage. They’re also calling the immediate termination of officers involved and want to see the Kentucky State Police to wrap up its investigation.
“It’s taken four months to investigate what took them two hours to take somebody’s life,” says activist Sarah Williams.
Williams says she’s been in talks with the Department of Justice about initiating an investigation within the Nicholasville Police Department.
She says they still have questions surrounding how the situation was handled by the department and officer Joseph Horton, who KSP says fired the shot that led to Laduke’s death.
“He had put in an application with the Nicholasville Police Department for it to utilize a person scope that he had bought for his weapon that he was using,” says Williams. “Why was this extra long range scope necessary for a police department of this size, for a city of this size?”
Meanwhile, Williams says they’re now organizing a public meeting on Saturday January 28th via zoom to encourage the community to talk to local politicians and city leaders. She says the goal is to push for changes that would help how police respond to mental health crisis situations.
The link to join that conversation is www.tinyurl.com/desmanladuke.
Kentucky State Police continue to investigate the incident.
