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Teen fatally shot in confrontation with Shelbyville police officers

Shelbyville officers assaulted before shooting, trooper says

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A teenager was fatally wounded in a confrontation with two Shelbyville police officers at his grandmother's home Saturday afternoon.

The victim, identified by relatives as Trey Williams, 18, died at Jewish Hospital Shelbyville after the incident at 100 Clifton Court, according to Trooper Ronald Turley, public information officer with Kentucky State Police, which is investigating the case.

The officers involved were also taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries and were expected to be released later Saturday night, Shelbyville Chief Robert Schutte said.

The incident began with two calls to police about a man carrying a piece of pipe in the area of Clifton Court. The second caller said the man had broken a window at the house at 100 Clifton Court and gone inside, Turley said. Two officers arrived at 1:47 p.m. and were let into the house and confronted a man inside.

The officers were assaulted with a piece of pipe by Williams, Turley said.

About 20 minutes after the officers entered the house, a police dispatcher received a message that officers were down. That's when shots were fired, Turley said.

Schutte would not identify the officers, but said both have been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of the state police investigation. He said both had been with the department for "a considerable amount of time."

Juan Amador, a neighbor on Clifton Court, said he was outside and heard a window break and saw the police arrive. A maintenance man who works in the subdivision that includes Clifton Court, let officers into the home, he said.

"I didn't hear any yelling or screaming," Amador said. "The next thing I know of, we heard the kid was dead."

Dorothy Farris, Williams' grandmother, was at a church function in Frankfort when her grandson was shot. When she returned home and was allowed to enter the house to get medication, she said there was a lot of blood and her aluminum crutches were both broken in two.

She disputes the police version of what happened, contending, "They brutally killed my grandson."

A cousin of Williams, Summer Farris, said he graduated from Shelby County High School last year and worked at Dairy Queen in Shelbyville. He enjoyed playing basketball and video games, she said.

Williams, of Shelbyville, "planned to turn his life over to God" today, Summer Farris said.

After the state police news conference, the Rev. Leslie Harris of Greater Tabernacle Baptist Church led about 100 people, made up of Williams' relatives and his grandmother's neighbors, in prayer in front of the Clifton Court house, asking God to grant them patience and understanding.

"We love you, Trey. We always will," he said.