{"version":"1.0","provider_name":"The News Journal","provider_url":"https:\/\/qa.thenewsjournal.net","title":"Lawsuit filed in case of 2016 fatal shooting by Knox County deputy &ndash; The News Journal","type":"rich","width":600,"height":338,"html":"<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"lmxX4zhZ8G\"><a href=\"https:\/\/qa.thenewsjournal.net\/lawsuit-filed-case-2016-fatal-shooting-knox-county-deputy\/\">Lawsuit filed in case of 2016 fatal shooting by Knox County deputy<\/a><\/blockquote><iframe sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" src=\"https:\/\/qa.thenewsjournal.net\/lawsuit-filed-case-2016-fatal-shooting-knox-county-deputy\/embed\/#?secret=lmxX4zhZ8G\" width=\"600\" height=\"338\" title=\"&#8220;Lawsuit filed in case of 2016 fatal shooting by Knox County deputy&#8221; &#8212; The News Journal\" data-secret=\"lmxX4zhZ8G\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" class=\"wp-embedded-content\"><\/iframe><script type=\"text\/javascript\">\n\/* <![CDATA[ *\/\n\/*! This file is auto-generated *\/\n!function(d,l){\"use strict\";l.querySelector&&d.addEventListener&&\"undefined\"!=typeof URL&&(d.wp=d.wp||{},d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage||(d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage=function(e){var t=e.data;if((t||t.secret||t.message||t.value)&&!\/[^a-zA-Z0-9]\/.test(t.secret)){for(var s,r,n,a=l.querySelectorAll('iframe[data-secret=\"'+t.secret+'\"]'),o=l.querySelectorAll('blockquote[data-secret=\"'+t.secret+'\"]'),c=new RegExp(\"^https?:$\",\"i\"),i=0;i<o.length;i++)o[i].style.display=\"none\";for(i=0;i<a.length;i++)s=a[i],e.source===s.contentWindow&&(s.removeAttribute(\"style\"),\"height\"===t.message?(1e3<(r=parseInt(t.value,10))?r=1e3:~~r<200&&(r=200),s.height=r):\"link\"===t.message&&(r=new URL(s.getAttribute(\"src\")),n=new URL(t.value),c.test(n.protocol))&&n.host===r.host&&l.activeElement===s&&(d.top.location.href=t.value))}},d.addEventListener(\"message\",d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage,!1),l.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\",function(){for(var e,t,s=l.querySelectorAll(\"iframe.wp-embedded-content\"),r=0;r<s.length;r++)(t=(e=s[r]).getAttribute(\"data-secret\"))||(t=Math.random().toString(36).substring(2,12),e.src+=\"#?secret=\"+t,e.setAttribute(\"data-secret\",t)),e.contentWindow.postMessage({message:\"ready\",secret:t},\"*\")},!1)))}(window,document);\n\/* ]]> *\/\n<\/script>\n","thumbnail_url":"https:\/\/qa.thenewsjournal.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/Court-pic-scales.jpg","thumbnail_width":150,"thumbnail_height":156,"description":"The family of a man shot and killed by Knox County Sheriff\u2019s Deputy Mikey Ashurst in June 2016, has filed a lawsuit against the county, sheriff\u2019s department, Ashurst and Constable Brandon Bolton. The lawsuit, filed Wednesday in U.S. District Court, claims intentional homicide and violation of the constitutional rights of the man, Jesse J. Mills. The incident occurred June 29, 2016 on Ky. 223 in the Flat Lick community in eastern Knox County. Ashurst and Bolton were responding to a complaint that Mills was intoxicated at a residence on Moore Creek Road off of Ky. 223 and had kidnapped a two-year-old child. A search ensued and the officers found Mills and the child walking along Ky. 223 about 11 p.m. As officers approached Mills an altercation ensued and the Knox County Deputy Sheriff\u2019s deputy (Ashurst) discharged his service weapon at the suspect fatally wounding Mills,\u201d said Trooper Lloyd Cochran, a public affairs officer for the state police. Further investigation by state police determined that the officers had ordered Mills to release the child. However, Mills charged the officers and when ordered to stop, he refused to do so. Ashurst then deployed his Taser, but the weapon was not effective. As a result, Ashurst went for his gun, shooting and killing Mills. Mills was pronounced dead at the scene. The child, who was uninjured, was returned to the custody of family members. Ashurst and Bolton were placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation by state police. Following the preliminary investigation, Ashurst was cleared to return to work on July 17, 2016. The results of the investigation were presented to a Knox County grand jury in August 2016. On Aug. 29, 2016, the grand jury found \u201cno true bill\u201d against the officers, meaning the grand jury did not find sufficient evidence to indict Ashurst and\/or Bolton. \u201cDeputy Ashurst has been a police officer for over six\u00a0years and has been with the Sheriff\u2019s Department for almost two\u00a0years now,\u201d said Knox County Sheriff Mike Smith. \u201cHe is a graduate of Kentucky Criminal Justice Training Academy and is a Kentucky Police Officer Professional Standards certified police officer. He is also up to date on all required annual training.\u00a0He has a clean record with our office.\u201d Attorneys for the family assert that the incident was nothing like what state police described in the report. We have an unbiased witness and an autopsy report that demonstrate that Officer Ashurst repeatedly tazered Mr. Mills, far more than was necessary to subdue an unarmed man,\u201d said Ms. Gambrel\u2019s attorney, Elliot Slosar of the civil rights firm Loevy &amp; Loevy Attorneys at Law. \u201cTo add insult to injury, Officer Ashurst then repeatedly kicked Mr. Mills while he laid on the ground, writhing in agony and presenting no threat to the officers or anyone else. Officer Ashurst then shot Mr. Mills, not once, but twice, needlessly killing him.\u201d The lawsuit alleges that the child\u2019s guardian was with Mills and the child at the time of the shooting and they were walking toward a gas station after Mills\u2019 vehicle had run out of gas. The plaintiffs allege that when Ashurst approached Mills, the first thing the deputy did was grab his arm and hit him in the head with a large flashlight. \u201cMr. Mills relinquished control of his daughter to the Defendants (Ashurst and Bolton),\u201d the lawsuit states adding that Ashurst then return the child to the guardian. The lawsuit alleges that after repeatedly beating Mills, leaving him dazed and confused, Ashurst shot him once in the stomach from a range of approximately six feet. &#8220;Mr. Mills, in excruciating pain, stooped over from the first gunshot wound,\u201d the lawsuit states. \u201cWhen he began to lift up his head, defendant Ashurst fired a second shot to Mr. Mills\u2019 chest.\u201d The lawsuit claims that the use of force by the officers was unnecessary as they knew that Mills was unarmed and never made any threatening moves toward them. Mr. Mills never reached for, nor possessed, a weapon during his interaction with the Defendants,\u201d the lawsuit states. The lawsuit also alleges that Kentucky State Police conducting the investigation were not acting in an impartial manner, but were solely interesting in proving that Mills had resisted to justify the shooting. \u201cBecause of his status as a police officer, defendant Ashurst has not\u00a0been held accountable for his actions by the Knox County Sheriff\u2019s Department,\u201d the lawsuit claims. \u201cInstead, and despite the cries of a grieving community, the Knox\u00a0County Sheriff\u2019s Department has endorsed Defendant Ashurst\u2019s actions \u2013 an act of deliberate indifference to the senseless and unlawful killing of Jessie Mills at the\u00a0hands of the Knox County Sheriff\u2019s Department,\u201d Mills\u2019 family stated in the suit."}