Kentucky State Police Investigates Officer-Involved Shooting in Lewis County
TOLLESBORO, Ky. (March 19, 2025) – The Kentucky State Police (KSP) Critical Incident Response Team (CIRT) has been requested by the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office (LCSO) to investigate an officer-involved shooting that occurred on March 18, just before 10:30 p.m. EDT. CIRT detectives responded to the scene and began an investigation into the incident.
The preliminary investigation indicates that LCSO deputies and Vanceburg Police Department officers were dispatched to a domestic violence incident on Little Cabin Crk near Tollesboro, where a male subject was reported to have been shooting a firearm. After arriving, officers encountered Mr. Keith Truesdell, a 49-year-old male from Vanceburg, who was armed with a firearm. The preliminary information indicates Mr. Truesdell fired a weapon toward the officers, and one LCSO deputy was struck. The deputies fired their agency-issued firearms, striking Mr. Truesdell and resulting in life-threatening injuries. Mr. Truesdell was transported to the University of Kentucky Hospital where he later succumbed to his injuries.
As a result of the gunfire exchange the LCSO deputy sustained non-life-threatening injuries, was transported to a local hospital for treatment, and has since been released.
No other injuries have been reported, and the investigation remains ongoing.
This information is based on the preliminary investigation into this incident and could be subject to change through the course of the ongoing investigation as investigators interview vital witnesses and gather pertinent facts.
KSP has statewide jurisdiction and investigates officer-involved shootings throughout the commonwealth as requested by local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies. KSP is committed to being transparent while ensuring the integrity of the investigation. To protect the integrity of an ongoing investigation, it is KSP’s standard operating procedure not to release specific details until vital witnesses have been interviewed and pertinent facts have been gathered. Timelines to complete investigations vary based on the complexity of the case.
# # #