An officer from kentucky who was shot in 2020 during protests over Breonna Taylor’s death is suing his department, alleging that his supervisors discriminated against him after he stated his views on Taylor’s shooting.
In the case, Louisville Officer Robinson Desroches claims that Black cops who share or critique their experiences with race are demonized as breaching “the thin blue line.”
In the lawsuit filed in Jefferson County on Monday, Desroches argues that some leaders tried to force him out of the department after he “firmly stated that the true reason he was shot in the line of duty is ‘because LMPD officers killed Breonna Taylor.'” He claims one commander ridiculed his lengthy rehabilitation after being gravely injured in the incident.
Louisville Police declined to comment on the complaint Tuesday, but did say in a statement that the department “strives to create an inclusive environment where employees feel welcomed, valued, and respected.” The department takes any allegations of harassment or discrimination very seriously.”
“When employees injured in the line of duty are ready to return to work, LMPD strives to provide reasonable accommodations to place the employee in alternative roles in the department until they are cleared by a doctor to return to full duty,” according to the statement.
Desroches is still a Louisville police officer, but his attorney, Sara Collins, claimed he is on workers’ compensation leave for physical and mental health reasons.
Desroches and another cop were shot during violent street protests in September 2020. The uproar erupted after former Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron announced that a grand jury had declined to charge the cops who shot Taylor during a fatal police raid earlier that year.
Desroches was hit in the stomach, and the bullet passed near his spine. According to the lawsuit, he had to wait more than a year before he could return to work on light duty. The other cop was not severely injured.
When Desroches returned to work, he was transferred to the recruitment department, and his supervisors later approached him about making speaking engagements for media attention.
Desroches claims in the lawsuit that the department intended to publicize his experience as a Black cop who was shot during the 2020 protests to “improve LMPD’s publicity and recruitment efforts.”
According to the lawsuit, he declined the position because he “did not want his image and story twisted to portray a false narrative about LMPD,” and he had some negative sentiments about the agency.
Desroches claimed his bosses frowned on him after that, and he was not offered a recruiting role when he returned to full-time status, according to the lawsuit. He also claims that last year, a command staffer told him that “there was a target on his back,” according to the lawsuit.
Larynzo Johnson, the guy who shot Desroches, pled guilty in 2022 to two charges of assault and dozens of counts of endangerment. He was sentenced to thirteen years in prison.
Desroches seeks punitive and compensatory damages from the Louisville Police Department.