By Tom Latek
Kentucky Today
Kentucky State Police (KSP) are investigating an officer-involved shooting in Boone County on Tuesday morning that led to the death of an Ohio man.
The KSP Critical Incident Response Team (CIRT) was requested by the Boone County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO) to investigate the incident, which occurred at approximately 7 a.m. on Industrial Road in Florence.
The preliminary investigation indicates the BCSO and Florence Police Department (FPD) responded to a call of a stolen semi-truck. Officers conducted a traffic stop on the vehicle. Upon stopping, the occupant of the semi, 35-year-old Michael Simpson, of Cleves, Ohio, a Western suburb of Cincinnati, got out of the vehicle and was noncompliant with the officer’s commands, which authorities say resulted in a physical altercation.
According to the KSP, Simpson brandished a firearm and pointed it toward his head. He then began walking to an industrial park area and was followed by responding officers. At one point during the incident, two BCSO deputies fired their agency-issued weapons. Simpson was wounded and taken by ambulance to a nearby medical facility, where he was pronounced dead. One FPD officer sustained minor injuries during the initial altercation, which took place during the traffic stop.
Kentucky State Police have statewide jurisdiction and investigate officer-involved shootings throughout the state as requested by local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies. KSP says they are committed to being transparent while ensuring the integrity of the investigation. To protect the integrity of an ongoing investigation, it is KSP’s standard operating procedure not to release specific details until vital witnesses have been interviewed and pertinent facts have been gathered. Timelines to complete investigations vary based on the complexity of the case.