Douglas Harless, 63, was shot and killed on the night of December 23, 2024, after London Police officers went to 511 Vanzant Road in Lily, Kentucky, to execute what the department says was a search warrant that was meant for 489 Vanzant Road, about 250 feet away. Officers knocked and, when Harless did not answer, breached the front door. Police state Harless was armed with a handgun and raised it; an officer fired multiple rounds from a patrol rifle, fatally wounding him.

Hobert Buttery had been arrested earlier in the theft of a weed eater and a heater and told police he had taken the weed eater to a house in Lily, which led to serving the warrant. The Kentucky State Police are investigating the officer-involved shooting; the officer who fired has been placed on administrative leave. No arrests have been made in connection with Harless’s death. Harless’s family has filed a wrongful death lawsuit alleging unlawful search, excessive force, gross negligence and violation of constitutional rights, and the community has held protests and vigils.

Harless is remembered by family as a kind, hardworking man who enjoyed NASCAR and time with his family. Does anyone with information about the events at 511 Vanzant Road that night or what led officers to that address come forward?