A Louisville Metro Police officer and firearms instructor received a monthlong suspension for shooting a recruit during a training exercise and floating the idea of a cover-up, according to a case report by LMPD.
On March 10, 2023, Officer Christopher Kitchen was helping two recruits — whose names are redacted in the released files — practice close-quarter tactics and hadn't realized his gun was loaded when he fired at one of them, Kitchen later told investigators.
The round struck the recruit in his bullet-resistant vest, bruising his abdomen, the Courier Journal reports.
During the training exercise, a recruit was walking across the room and kept leaving himself open as a target, according to Kitchen's interview. When asked why he fired his weapon, Kitchen said he wanted to drive home the point that the recruit needed to keep himself covered during a sweep.
Kitchen fired a live round, shooting the recruit in his vest-protected abdomen.
LMPD launched an investigation. In November, Kitchen was found in violation of LMPD's mandated care and discharge of a firearm, as well as having unbecoming conduct for discussing a cover-up with the recruits.
