LOUISVILLE, KY - Police are actively looking for an individual who allegedly shot and killed a woman who was walking her child to a bus stop. The incident took place around 8:00 a.m. on Wednesday, August 13th, and the victim has been identified as 23-year-old Redaja Williams.
Louisville Metropolitan Police Department (LMPD) said that there were several people at bus stops in the area when the shots rang out, WLKY reported. The woman who was hit by the shooter was taken to a nearby hospital, where she was pronounced dead. Police said the shooting was in the same area where shots were fired last week on the Jefferson County Public Schools' first day.
The child, thankfully, was not hurt, and police said they are making sure the family gets the support they need during this difficult time. Police took a 15-year-old into custody in connection with the shooting at The Academy at Shawnee. Initially, police said he was not involved, but then they said he had been charged for the bus stop shootout the week before.
He fired shots in the same area with several children present, which is why he is now facing 34 charges. That investigation remains ongoing. LMPD is investigating whether the two shootings are at all related. The shootings were close to two JCPS schools, a YMCA, and a library.
"Kids should be able to go to school, go to the bus stop in the morning, without any fear of gun violence, of having to run for their life in the morning. It's absolutely unacceptable that these types of incidents have happened twice in the last week," LMPD Chief Paul Humphrey said in a statement.
The chief said that after the first shooting on August 7th, they have had officers out at the bus stop every morning through Thursday, August 12th. They were not present on Wednesday, the day of the second shooting. Humphrey said they decided that morning not to go back out there. "They made the decision based on the fact that [by] that conflict last week, we had already had one of the people involved. We thought that that conflict was over with," he said.
Mayor Craig Greenberg said that there are about 40,000 bus stops in the community, if you look at the morning and afternoon bus routes. "It is not practical to cover every bus stop while law enforcement, but we will continue to look for ways that we can collaborate more to have more presence and about during the times when buses are picking up and dropping off kids," Greenberg said.
"We're going to continue to be in the community, working to get information about these crimes and working with young people after school to prevent crimes from happening in the future."
The family of Williams spoke to the media on Wednesday, using the platform to call for help in finding the person responsible for her violent death, Law & Crime reported. Kendra LaRue, who was friends with Williams and was there when she was shot, said, "Every time I close my eyes, I see her, and I hear her breath. I hear her gasping for air."
Whoever killed the woman is still at large. He has been described as a young black male wearing a red hoodie and black sweatpants. Anyone with information is asked to call the anonymous tip line at 502-574-LMPD.
Louisville Metropolitan Police Department (LMPD) said that there were several people at bus stops in the area when the shots rang out, WLKY reported. The woman who was hit by the shooter was taken to a nearby hospital, where she was pronounced dead. Police said the shooting was in the same area where shots were fired last week on the Jefferson County Public Schools' first day.
The child, thankfully, was not hurt, and police said they are making sure the family gets the support they need during this difficult time. Police took a 15-year-old into custody in connection with the shooting at The Academy at Shawnee. Initially, police said he was not involved, but then they said he had been charged for the bus stop shootout the week before.
He fired shots in the same area with several children present, which is why he is now facing 34 charges. That investigation remains ongoing. LMPD is investigating whether the two shootings are at all related. The shootings were close to two JCPS schools, a YMCA, and a library.
"Kids should be able to go to school, go to the bus stop in the morning, without any fear of gun violence, of having to run for their life in the morning. It's absolutely unacceptable that these types of incidents have happened twice in the last week," LMPD Chief Paul Humphrey said in a statement.
The chief said that after the first shooting on August 7th, they have had officers out at the bus stop every morning through Thursday, August 12th. They were not present on Wednesday, the day of the second shooting. Humphrey said they decided that morning not to go back out there. "They made the decision based on the fact that [by] that conflict last week, we had already had one of the people involved. We thought that that conflict was over with," he said.
Mayor Craig Greenberg said that there are about 40,000 bus stops in the community, if you look at the morning and afternoon bus routes. "It is not practical to cover every bus stop while law enforcement, but we will continue to look for ways that we can collaborate more to have more presence and about during the times when buses are picking up and dropping off kids," Greenberg said.
"We're going to continue to be in the community, working to get information about these crimes and working with young people after school to prevent crimes from happening in the future."
The family of Williams spoke to the media on Wednesday, using the platform to call for help in finding the person responsible for her violent death, Law & Crime reported. Kendra LaRue, who was friends with Williams and was there when she was shot, said, "Every time I close my eyes, I see her, and I hear her breath. I hear her gasping for air."
Whoever killed the woman is still at large. He has been described as a young black male wearing a red hoodie and black sweatpants. Anyone with information is asked to call the anonymous tip line at 502-574-LMPD.
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