Officer shot during traffic stop is off ventilator

By Alexis Mathews

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    LOUISVILLE, Kentucky (WLKY) — The Louisville police officer shot during a traffic stop last week is making progress in his recovery.

Brandon Haley is now breathing without the help of a ventilator.

Haley was shot in the Chickasaw neighborhood in the early morning hours of Sept. 7.

During a routine traffic stop, the rookie officer was hit by gunfire that police say came from a nearby home on Kentucky Street. Four people were arrested on charges related to the incident, but no one is charged directly for shooting Haley.

“It is tragic to me that in our city, a city that is so giving, loving, and kind, that our police continue to be targeted when they’re just getting up, putting on their uniform and going to work,” Rebecca Grignon-Reker said.

The devastation is all too familiar to Grignon-Reker whose husband was shot and killed in the line of duty 18 years ago.

“I don’t ever want Louisville to get used to this happening. I don’t ever want Louisville to get used to waking up in the morning and finding out that another officer has been intentionally hurt,” she said.

Now, as the executive director of the Louisville Metro Police Foundation, she is wrapping her arms around Officer Haley’s children and wife, Allison, who has not left her husband’s side since he was hospitalized.

“She is a delightful human, such a good person, and you can tell how much she loves Brandon,” Grignon-Reker said. “She’s at the hospital with him all the time, he’s off work, and they’re going to need support.”

To lift the family’s financial burdens, the foundation has started a fundraiser for the community to give and show their support for Officer Haley. Anyone can donate to support on the foundation’s website, through Facebook, PayPal or by Venmo @LouisvilleMetro-PoliceFoundation.

“We want to be present in a big way for them because they will walk this journey the rest of their lives, and if Louisville shows out for them and shows their appreciation, if the foundation and the department supports them, it’s a love that pours out and it’s healing,” Grignon-Reker said.

Officer Haley is recovering at University of Louisville Hospital. According to the police foundation, his wife says he is improving significantly. The 33-year-old has undergone two successful surgeries and in a huge step in his recovery since being critically injured, Haley is now breathing without a ventilator.

“It’s super exciting,” Grignon-Reker said. “He is making that process to be back to Brandon, so he is fighting really hard, and his family is surrounding him. Allison asks if people can continue to send good thoughts and prayers to him because that is getting them through right now.”

On Monday, in an update about Officer Haley, LMPD released a statement saying: “Officer Haley remains in critical, but stable condition. We are cautiously optimistic, and LMPD continues to ask for the community’s prayers and support for Officer Haley and his family. This remains an ongoing investigation. We have no further to offer at this time.”

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