Friends, family of Desman LaDuke rally in Nicholasville

Nicholasville, KY–Friends and family of Desman LaDuke, who was killed by the Nicholasville Police Department on Oct. 22 while experiencing a mental health crisis, rallied on Saturday seeking answers from authorities.

The rally was organized by LPD Accountability and Peoples Blueprint. Terry Drumphord, president of the Bourbon County NAACP, its members, and the Nicholasville and Central KY community also attended, according to a WKYT report. Attendees said the NPD was not being forthcoming with the real story.

The march went past LaDuke’s home, where he was shot by a police sniper through his bedroom window, to the steps of the Jessamine County Courthouse. Marchers said they had some demands, which included a Department of Justice investigation into NPD’s procedures and policies, releasing body camera footage from the shooting, and changes to the way the department handles mental health calls.

LPD Accountability’s Sarah Williams told WKYT marches like the one Saturday are intended to show Nicholasville Police they are watching them and waiting for transparency and accountability.

Maybe they thought it would be swept under the rug, that we weren’t coming, but there’s going to be some accountability.

Sarah Williams

All photos courtesy of Ziggy Woodhead