London police officer killed by suspected drunk driver Sunday morning

An on-duty London police officer was killed early Sunday morning by an alleged drunk driver, who is being held in the Laurel County Correctional Center in lieu of a $1 million cash bond.

At 12:49 a.m., Kentucky State Police responded to a two-vehicle collision that occurred at the intersection of South Main Street and KY 229 (Barbourville Street) in the city limits of London.

The preliminary investigation indicates that a 2022 Ram pickup truck operated by Casey P. Byrd, 36, of Oneida, Tennessee, was traveling north on KY 229 (Barbourville Street) when his vehicle entered the intersection of South Main Street and struck a 2019 Dodge Charger police cruiser traveling southbound on South Main Street. The Charger was operated by on-duty London Police Officer Logan K. Medlock, 26, of Keavy, according to a Kentucky State Police (KSP) release.

“As a result of the collision, Officer Medlock suffered life-threatening injuries, and was pronounced deceased on scene by the Laurel County Coroner’s Office. Mr. Byrd was not injured in the collision. Alcohol is suspected to be a contributing factor in this collision,” KSP wrote in a release.

Byrd was booked into the Laurel County Correctional Center at 4:20 a.m. Sunday on charges of murder of a police officer and operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol. He is scheduled to appear in Laurel District Court Monday, according to the jail’s website.

As of 11 a.m. Sunday, no photo of the accused was available on the jail’s website.

The Kentucky State Police Critical Incident Response Team is continuing the investigation. They were assisted at the scene by Post 11 personnel, the London Police Department, Laurel County Sheriff’s Office, Laurel County EMS, London City Fire Department, London ECO Tech, Laurel County Fire Department and the Laurel County Coroner’s office.