LAUREL COUNTY, Ky. (LEX 18) — A group of former Kentucky Commonwealth's Attorneys is calling on prosecutors and law enforcement to release full details surrounding the December 2024 death of a Laurel County man shot and killed by London police in his own home.
The Laurel County Grand Jury returned no indictment on Feb. 20, 2026, in connection with the death of Douglas Harless. Harless was killed by the London Police Department in his home on Dec. 23, 2024.
The London City Police has acknowledged that officers had no legal authority to enter Harless' home and that one of its officers shot and killed him. The former prosecutors say only limited information has been released by the London City Police, Kentucky State Police, and the Commonwealth's Attorney.
The former Commonwealth's Attorneys issued a statement saying the family of Harless and the people of Laurel County and the Commonwealth of Kentucky are entitled to know what took place the night he was killed.
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"Fatal shootings involving police officers are routinely followed up with detailed information freely disseminated to the public and press alike. This has not been done in this case," the statement said.
The former prosecutors called for the public release of the names of all London Police Department officers who participated in the raid of the Harless home, the actions of every officer present that night, all laboratory test results, and any other information explaining Harless' death.
The statement was authored by former Commonwealth's Attorneys who said they began serving in the Commonwealth's Attorney's Office in the 1970s and have experience working with grand juries involving law enforcement conduct.
"We firmly believe that incidents involving a death at the hands of law enforcement require and deserve openness and full reporting to the public," the statement said.
"Silence by those conducting an investigation of the killing of an innocent man in his own home is unacceptable. The absence of public disclosure causes distrust and creates loss of respect for law enforcement," the statement said.
The former prosecutors said they know of no reason to refuse full and complete disclosure of all information in the case.
