May 11th 2018 was a scary night for Evansville. There was a situation with an active shooter that ambushed EPD.  The events of that night were caught on body cams, and security cameras and retold in an Investigation Discovery show, Body Cam.

The shooting happened in the 2400 block of North Kentucky Avenue.  Neighbors had called the police to report shots fired in the area.  When police showed up they were ambushed by a gunman who ran and fired at EPD vehicles. Due to the fact they were in a residential area, and it was dark it made for a very dangerous situation for all involved.

SWAT came in, and Officer Kyle Thiry stopped the threat, and shot the gunman.  Later thanks to his heroic actions Officer Kyle Thiry was selected as  the 2018 SWAT Officer of the Year by the Indiana SWAT Officers Association.

Unfortunately that night two lives were lost,  the gunman, and the life of a neighbor, 56 year old Jeffrey Kempf.  Kempf had walked outside to see what was going on when he was shot.  EPD said they believe the gunman thought Kempf was an officer, when he stepped outside and believe that's why the gunman targeted him.

 

On December 3rd, 2019 the ambush was featured on an Investigation Discovery show, called Body Cam.  In the episode they interview  officers that were involved, as well as show the body cam and security camera footage.  Watching the footage, and hearing the first hand accounts from the officers involved is chilling.  The show made me extra thankful for the amazing officers we have in our community. They were willing to go in and risk their lives to keep the community safe.  The episode is currently on Investigation Discovery's website, and you can see it by clicking here.  I'm not sure how long it will be on their website, so you may want to catch it ASAP.  EPD's segment starts at the 24-minute mark.

 

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