March 7, 2022- 7:36 p.m.
The Louisville Metro Police (LMPD) Public Integrity Unit is looking into why two St. Matthews Police officers fired their weapons early Monday morning in Brown Park.
St. Matthews Police Chief Barry Wilkerson said an officer was patrolling the park around 3:30 a.m. when he saw a vehicle in the parking lot. The park is closed from dusk until dawn, so Wilkerson said the presence of the vehicle was “suspicious.”
Chief Wilkerson said the officer went up to the vehicle, saw that there was a person inside and called for backup. When the second officer arrived, the first one went back to the vehicle and tapped on the window.
According to an arrest citation, the person inside the vehicle pulled out a gun and “pointed it directly toward” the officers. In response, the officers fired their weapons.
Police say no one was hit or injured. Wilkerson said he could not provide additional details on the shooting itself, including the number of shots fired and where they ended up, due to the PIU investigation.
“This is something that could have been very tragic,” Wilkerson said. “This ended a lot better than it could have [ended].”
He said the man inside the vehicle complied with the officers after the shooting and was taken into custody. The suspect, identified by police as Allyn Bryant, has been charged with two counts of wanton endangerment and one count of criminal trespassing.
According to his arrest citation, Bryant said hearing the officer knock on his window “startled” him, which is why he grabbed his gun.
Wilkerson said he believes this was an isolated incident, and he has no concerns about the safety of the park or any danger to the community.
“St. Matthews is a very safe area,” he said. “What occurred doesn’t happen here very often.”
The identities of the officers involved in the incident have not been released. Due to the PIU investigation, St. Matthews PD says that information will likely not be released for a few weeks.
Both officers are on administrative leave.
