Cuban Doctor Fatally Shot by Police in Kentucky

A Cuban doctor residing in Kentucky, United States, was fatally shot by officers from the Louisville Metropolitan Police Department in front of his family last Thursday night. The tragic incident is currently under investigation by authorities.

The victim, identified by his family as Yoel Nápoles Ravelo, 32, was armed with a knife when he was shot by the officers, according to reports from various local media outlets. The officers responded to a call at a house on the 6600 block of Eagle Wood Drive in a neighborhood in southwest Louisville. The 911 call, made around 9:30 p.m. on Thursday, reported an "unknown active problem," according to interim LMPD Chief Paul Humphrey.

Humphrey explained that when the police arrived, the family members who made the call informed them that there was an agitated man inside, prompting them to leave the house. According to the report, while the officers were outside attempting to communicate with him, Nápoles emerged from the house holding a knife and began advancing towards them.

The interim police chief stated that the officers repeatedly ordered the man to drop the knife, but he did not comply. Humphrey noted that the officers used non-lethal weapons, including a 40mm foam baton, a bean bag round, and a Taser stun gun, in an attempt to stop him as he approached. However, they eventually opened fire, shooting the man multiple times.

The officers attempted to provide first aid to Nápoles, but he was pronounced dead at the scene.

The television station WDRB, affiliated with Fox, reported that Nápoles' family, who declined to speak on camera, said he had called 911 seeking medical help, believing he was experiencing hallucinations. The family members expressed that they trusted the LMPD officers and other responders would help them. They also mentioned that Nápoles spoke perfect English, so he would have understood the officers' commands to drop the knife, and that he was carrying a Bible.

Humphrey described the situation as tragic, stating, "It's clearly a tragedy. We want to acknowledge the loss of human life. It's a distressing time for both the officers and the family. However, we are grateful that no one else was injured."

A neighbor named Heather Powell told WLKY that the scene was chaotic. "We didn't know what was happening, but we heard people screaming," she recounted. Minutes later, she heard five or six gunshots. "It was a feeling of pain, you know? I heard the pain and sorrow in a woman's scream; she was devastated, heartbroken," Powell expressed.

Nápoles had emigrated from Cuba to the United States several years ago and had become a U.S. citizen, according to his family. WDRB published a photo provided by the family showing the young Cuban doctor holding his recently obtained medical degree from Santiago de Cuba. Online documents confirmed that he graduated in 2017.

The LMPD Public Integrity Unit is investigating the case and announced that, following department protocol, body camera footage will be made public within 10 days of the incident. On Monday, the Louisville police released the names of the three officers who fired their weapons during the fatal incident. They were identified as Kendrick Eaves, Matthews Forbes, and Garret Schmeltz, according to WLKY.