Family of Man Killed in Wrong-Address Raid Sues Kentucky State Police for Withholding Records
LONDON, KY – The family of Douglas Harless filed suit in Franklin Circuit Court against the Kentucky State Police (“KSP”), seeking a temporary restraining order, injunctive relief, and an order compelling the immediate disclosure of public records related to the fatal police raid that killed Harless in his own home on December 23, 2024.
Just days before Christmas, London Police Department officers arrived at Harless’ home at 511 Vanzant Road in Laurel County and executed a search warrant intended for a different residence at 489 Vanzant Road. Despite clear address markings, officers forced entry into the wrong home and shot Harless five times, killing him. Harless, a 63-year-old maintenance worker, father, and grandfather, had no relevant criminal history and was not a suspect in the underlying investigation.
Since the shooting, the Harless family has diligently sought basic documents from KSP since January 2025, including the crime scene photos, basic police reports, investigative file, body camera footage, 911 calls, the search warrant and supporting affidavit, and other critical evidence. KSP has withheld these records for over a year citing an ongoing investigation. The KSP is a public agency, subject to the Kentucky Open Records Act, and all of the documents sought are public records. On February 20, 2026, the same day a grand jury declined to indict any officers, the family again requested the records but KSP still refused to comply, pushing its response deadline to mid-April with no justification.
“Doug’s family has been waiting over a year for the truth about how and why he was killed in his own home. Law enforcement has hidden behind the criminal investigation at every turn,” said Tad Thomas of Thomas Law Offices, representing the Harless family. “Doug’s family has a legal right to these documents, and we will fight to make sure they get them. KSP’s delays are not just a technicality. They are a denial of justice to a grieving family, and to the public.”
The complaint alleges that KSP violated the Kentucky Open Records Act by failing to issue a timely final determination on the family’s and others’ requests and by improperly delaying production of records that are no longer subject to any investigative exemption. The family is seeking a restraining order to prevent KSP from transferring the records to another agency before they are produced, a preliminary injunction, and an order requiring immediate disclosure.
“The Open Records Act is not optional. No public agency gets to decide when and whether to follow it, and we are asking the court to make that clear,” said Howard O. Mann, co-counsel for the Harless family. “This is about more than one family. When law enforcement can withhold records indefinitely with no consequence, no one can hold them accountable.”
The Harless family is represented by Tad Thomas, Ashley Abaray, and Nick Horne of Thomas Law Offices; Howard O. Mann of the Law Offices of Howard O. Mann, PSC; and Amanda and Jeff Hill of Hill & Hill Law Offices.
