Louisville, Ky. — A recent review conducted by the Louisville Metro Police Department (LMPD) has concluded that no serious mistakes were made in the 2022 shooting death of Omari Cryer, rejecting allegations of misconduct raised by the city’s Metro Inspector General.
LMPD Chief Paul Humphrey responded to claims made by Inspector General Ed Harness at a January 22 meeting of the Civilian Review and Accountability Board, which suggested that the department had made false statements in a search warrant affidavit and criminal complaint related to the incident. Harness had raised concerns over what he described as discrepancies in the board’s investigation of the shooting.
Cryer, 25, was fatally shot on May 20, 2022, in the Chickasaw neighborhood of West Louisville after fleeing from an apartment during a joint operation between LMPD and U.S. Marshals. The task force had arrived to arrest Cryer, who was wanted on domestic violence-related charges, including assault and strangulation. Cryer reportedly fled the scene and was shot twice by a deputy U.S. Marshal after he allegedly reached for a firearm while attempting to scale a fence. No LMPD officer discharged their weapon during the incident.
The OIG investigation, initiated in March 2023 following a third-party complaint, raised concerns of abuse of authority, excessive force, and discourtesy by police officers involved in the shooting. One of the primary allegations centered around a criminal complaint written by Sgt. Sarah Mantle. The OIG suggested that Mantle had falsely stated in the complaint that Cryer’s alleged victim claimed she lost consciousness during a strangulation incident. However, body camera footage from the day of the incident revealed that while the victim initially stated she had “lost consciousness,” she later clarified that she did not feel like everything was “going dark.”
Humphrey defended the actions of his officers, stating that the victim’s statements were consistent with the police report, and there was no deliberate attempt to misrepresent the facts. He also dismissed the OIG’s report as “inaccurate,” calling the allegations “misleading crap” and providing supporting evidence, including body camera footage and search warrants, to refute the claims.
“The department acted quickly to address these serious allegations, and we found no grounds for further investigation or disciplinary action,” Humphrey said. “These officers did nothing wrong.”
In the wake of the review, Harness expressed respect for the department’s decision, though he noted that this was the first time the department had formally responded to one of the OIG’s investigations. He emphasized that the purpose of the OIG’s role was to request further investigation when discrepancies are suspected, not to cast blame. “This is oversight,” Harness said. “We didn’t assign guilt. We asked for an investigation.”
While LMPD found only minor issues in the case, no additional investigations or disciplinary measures will be taken against the officers involved. Humphrey concluded by reiterating his support for the officers and emphasizing that the review process had worked as intended.
As the investigation surrounding Cryer’s death concluded, questions about the transparency and accountability of police practices in the city remain, with both sides expressing hopes that the process will lead to a more informed and fair system.
