16-year-old boy charged with attempted murder of Kentucky police officer
Published 5:35 am Thursday, February 10, 2022
A teenage boy has been charged with attempted murder of a police officer in connection with a shooting in Kentucky this month.
Lexington police said the 16-year-old was with a group of people on Saturday when officers approached to investigate an earlier shooting. One of the juveniles fired a weapon, hitting an officer, and another officer returned fire, but no one was injured, police said.
The officer was taken to a hospital with an injury reported not to be life-threatening, police said.
The 16-year-old was charged with three counts of attempted murder, five counts of wanton endangerment, and one count each of first-degree assault, carrying a concealed weapon and first-degree criminal mischief.
He and two 17-year-old boys were each charged with possession of a handgun by a minor, first-degree trafficking in a controlled substance, trafficking in marijuana and receiving stolen property.
The three are being held in a juvenile detention facility. They were not named because of their age.
Kentucky State Police are investigating the case, and Lexington police Public Integrity Unit will conduct an internal review. The officer is on administrative assignment.