A Kentucky police officer who was reprimanded for firing chemical agents at a TV news crew during Louisville street protests in 2020 is now under investigation for firing other non-lethal rounds on the same night.
The officer, identified as Officer Dustin Dean, received a written reprimand last week for violating the department’s use of force policy for chemical agents. He had fired non-lethal pepper rounds at a TV crew from WAVE-TV that was covering the protests following the death of Breonna Taylor.
After reviewing body camera footage from a lawsuit, it was discovered that Officer Dean had fired more non-lethal rounds at protesters on the same night. The Louisville Police Department confirmed that they had only reviewed Dean's encounter with the TV crew initially.
Following the new revelations, the department stated that they were initiating an investigation into the additional incidents involving Officer Dean. The specific actions that prompted the new probe were not disclosed in the statement released by the Louisville Police.
Footage from the night of May 29, 2020, showed Officer Dean using a 40 mm non-lethal projectile launcher to target a man who was walking away from the protests. He also used the same device to fire at protesters who were holding signs.
The body-cam footage further revealed that protesters had thrown water bottles and other projectiles at officers during the chaotic night of demonstrations.
The FBI had previously investigated the incident involving the TV crew and cleared Officer Dean of any criminal wrongdoing after a three-year investigation. Throughout the investigation, Dean was placed on administrative desk duty and had his police powers revoked.
