By JIM BROOKS
Nelson County Gazette / WBRT Radio
Monday, May 11, 2015, 11:55 a.m. — Law enforcement officials painted a sympathetic picture of an out-of-control and troubled young man who was shot twice by police Sunday morning on Parkway Drive after stealing a truck from Franklin Family Chevrolet dealership.
Bardstown Police Chief Rick McCubbin and Nelson County Sheriff Ed Mattingly held a joint press conference about the Parkway Drive incident that led to police shooting John Kennedy Fenwick twice Sunday morning.
McCubbin said Fenwick is believed to have stolen a Chevy pickup truck at the Franklin Family dealership at about 7 a.m. Sunday. Bardstown Police Officer Kyler Wright spotted Fenwick driving the truck recklessly on Springfield Road. Wright attempted to stop Fenwick, who then fled on Parkway Drive. After a short pursuit, Fenwick stopped the vehicle. As Wright was getting out of the cruiser, Fenwick allegedly reversed the truck, crashing into the police cruiser, trapping Wright and pushing the cruiser backward. Wright fired his weapon several times at Fenwick, who then drove away.
Fenwick encountered a Sgt. Jason Allison of the sheriff’s office and crashed into Allison’s car with such force it burst into flames. Fenwick fled that crash and encountered a second officer, Deputy Brian Voils, crashing into his cruiser.
While Voils was trying to take the man into custody, Fenwick started to struggle with and tried to disarm Voils. The officer then fired and shot Fenwick, who was unarmed.
McCubbin told reporters the use of officers’ firearms was justified because the Fenwick was using the truck as a weapon against police and then attempted to disarm an officer.
KSP INVESTIGATING. The Kentucky State Police is investigating the shooting and refused to offer additional details about the incident until their investigation is complete.
We plan on doing a thorough and impartial investigation,” Gregory said. “After we make a conclusion we’ll turn it over to the Commonwealth Attorney’s office and it will be up to them to adjudicate it the way they see fit.”
Mattingly said he and McCubbin wanted KSP to investigate in the interest of openness and transparency.
VICTIM’S TROUBLED PAST. Sunday’s incident wasn’t Kennedy’s first brush with the law. According to the arrest logs of the Nelson County Jail, Fenwick had prior run-ins with the law, including arrests for burglary, drug possession and assault in 2013; burglary, criminal trespassing, promoting contraband, disorderly conduct and alcohol intoxication in 2011,
CALLS FOR HELP. Fenwick’s family had contacted police the day before the shooting and asked for their help, Mattingly told the media. A family member suggested Fenwick was mentally ill, so deputies interviewed Fenwick who at that time was coherent and not aggressive, Mattingly said. Fenwick told deputies he felt his family was picking on him.
Before officers can take any kind of action in an instance like this, they have to witness the individual acting out in order to have probable cause, Mattingly said.
“Chief McCubbin and I want the public to know that our guys are out here working, doing what they’re supposed to do,” Mattingly said. “This is a terrible thing that’s happened, but its part of the job. We have a job to keep the public safe.”
McCubbin told the media that in the past couple of weeks, criminal active “has been off the hook.”
McCubbin said officers in both departments want those addicted to drugs to get help. “We can’t arrest our way out of this,” he said. “And we know they don’t want to be addicted.
“Drugs are the nexus of everything we do,” he said. “You know things are bad when families turn to us as a last resort.”
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