Wednesday night at 10:13, the Leitchfield Police Department and Fire Departments, Grayson County Sheriff’s Office, Kentucky State Police, and EMS responded to 1619 Lashley Street on the report of a shooting.
Upon arriving at the scene, multiple LPD officers discovered a fire in the backyard of the residence at 1619 Lashley St., with a male gunshot victim on the far side of the fire. Officers and EMS workers were unable to reach the victim because of the fire, resulting in the Leitchfield Fire Department responding to the scene within minutes and extinguishing the blaze.
Neighbors said it was not uncommon for the residents to burn trash in the backyard, and LFD Chief Tim Duvall confirmed that the burning material appeared to be trash.
An unconfirmed report indicates the victim, whose name has not been released by authorities, suffered a gunshot wound to the head. He was transported to Twin Lakes Regional Medical Center by EMS where he succumbed to his injury.
The shooting suspect, James Garrett, who lives at the home at 1619 Lashley St., fled on foot immediately after the shooting, but was taken into custody by Leitchfield police at 10:54 in a wooded area not far from his home. Just before Garrett was detained, Grayson County Central Dispatch reported to responding officers that the suspect called dispatch and claimed the shooting was in self-defense.
Neighbors reported that for the last few weeks gunshots have regularly rung out in the normally quiet, middle class neighborhood, including on Wednesday. Police believe that a homemade gun may have been fashioned by someone at 1619 Lashley St., which could have been the source of the recent gun fire. It’s unclear at this point if the homemade gun was used in Wednesday night’s shooting.
The Leitchfield Police Department, including Chief Bryan Langdon and Detective Kevin Smith, Grayson County Sheriff’s Office and Kentucky State Police are currently investigating the shooting.
(UPDATE 2:36a.m.) Kentucky State Police Det. Adam Hutchison is leading the investigation.
By Ken Howlett, News Director
Contact Ken at ken@k105.com or 270-259-6000
