A Louisville Metro Corrections officer was fired this week after filming an offensive video at the Kentucky State Fair, according to representatives from the city and the jail.
Turhan Knight, who had worked for Metro Corrections since 2018, is no longer employed by the jail as of Thursday, according to Louisville Metro Department of Corrections union president Daniel Johnson. The organization will not appeal his termination, Johnson said, and members are “glad to see the department take quick action to end his employment.”
“The video was absolutely horrible, and there is no place in uniform for anyone that would do something so insensitive,” Johnson said Friday. “We believe the termination was absolutely justified and was the right decision. Knight’s views and opinions of LMPD does not reflect those of FOP Lodge 77.”
Attempts to reach Knight over the phone and through social media Friday were not immediately successful.
The video appeared to be filmed as a parody Louisville Metro Police recruitment pitch. Knight, the lone speaker on screen, is shown in uniform walking alongside LMPD vehicles at the fair while telling viewers the department is “trying to repair broken relationships” with the community.
“Be a part of a great, great police department,” Knight says on screen at one point. “Never mind what happened, to Breonna Taylor – we killed that b—-.”
Taylor was a 26-year-old Black woman shot and killed by LMPD officers serving a no-knock warrant at her apartment in March 2020. Her death led to a major protest movement in Louisville and across the nation. Four former police officials are facing federal charges over her killing, with former Officer Kelly Goodlett pleading guilty earlier this week to one count of conspiring to violate Taylor’s civil rights, as Goodlett admitted to helping falsify an affidavit for the search of her apartment.
In the video, Knight discusses the perks of working for LMPD, including unlimited time off and the ability to support a family.
“Do you want to kill people and be able to get off for it?” Knight asks in conclusion. “Join Louisville Metro Police Department and answer the call.”
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In a statement sent Friday to The Courier Journal, Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer described the video as “hideous.” The former officer was “fired immediately upon learning of the video,” his statement said.
“There is zero excuse for his insensitivity,” Fischer’s statement said. “He has brought great shame upon Metro Corrections and all of Louisville Metro Government. I deeply apologize to the family of Breonna Taylor and all of the hard working and ethical employees of Louisville Metro Government. One person will not tarnish the good work we attempt to do on behalf of our residents.”
Additional representatives from the jail were not immediately available for comment Friday evening.
This story may be updated.
Reach Lucas Aulbach at [email protected]
