Jeffersontown Police Chief Rick Sanders has revealed the name of the officer who fired his service weapon and killed a man in a May 27 shooting on Robsion Road.
During a May 29 news conference, Sanders said Officer Stevonte Wood, 29, fired at the man, identified as Marco Dorsey, 43, following an altercation in the Jeffersontown neighborhood where both men lived.
Sanders said Wood and his children were at home when Wood’s neighbors alerted him to Dorsey’s concerning behavior, which included walking up the street punching through car windows and making threats to harm children and other residents.
Sanders said Dorsey’s girlfriend told investigators that he had been drinking all day after the pair got into an argument.
“[Wood] hears the commotion outside, and when he goes to the front door, and this guy comes toward his front door,” Sanders said. “That’s when Officer Wood steps back, told his kids to hide, grabbed his radio and his gun, and then came back and encountered this guy in the front yard.”
Jeffersontown Police Officer Stevonte Wood was identified as the off-duty officer who shot and killed a man on Robsion Road May 27.
Sanders said Wood recognized Dorsey may be in the middle of a mental health crisis and attempted to de-escalate the situation while calling for backup. Wood reportedly walked down the street with Dorsey giving verbal commands while waiting for “less lethal weapons.” As he was relaying information to dispatchers, investigators said Dorsey charged Wood and Wood fired several rounds from his service weapon, killing Dorsey.
Dorsey did not have a weapon at the time of the shooting, Sanders said.
Woods was not wearing a body cam during the incident because he was off duty, but investigators are evaluating footage of Dorsey walking around the neighborhood that was captured on Ring cameras. It was unclear if the moment of the shooting had been recorded.
In a statement issued by the department, officials called the shooting “a tragic and deeply distressing event for all involved.”
“Officer Wood, though off duty, acted out of a genuine and immediate concern for the safety of his children, his neighbors and himself,” officials said.
In a May 29 statement, Dorsey’s family members said the shooting was “senseless violence.”
“There is no justification for what happened. Marco deserved to live. He deserved to return home that day. Instead, we are left grieving, asking questions, and demanding answers,” the statement reads. “We are calling for full transparency, accountability, and justice. No badge should place anyone above the law. We want a thorough, impartial investigation, and we demand that the officer responsible be held fully accountable under the law — just like any other citizen would be.”
Kentucky State Police’s Critical Incident Response Team continues leading the investigation.
This story may be updated.
Reach reporter Molly Gregory at [email protected]
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Jeffersontown shooting: Off-duty officer identified, new details released
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