A young deputy with the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office (JCSO) has been killed while working security at a Shively car lot.
Brandon Shirley, 26, worked for the JCSO as court security. He was shot and killed Thursday morning at approximately 2:30 while working security at Rockford Lane Auto Sales, between Cane Run Road and Dixie Highway in Louisville.
The Louisville Metro Police Department is handling the murder investigation.
“We can say with a feeling of confidence that he was targeted, and that he was ambushed,” Louisville Metro Police Department Chief Erika Shields said. “It is just sickening. We will make an arrest.”
Shirley attended the police training academy in Richmond in 2019 with Clarkson Police Officer Blake Elmore and Grayson County Deputy Sean Fentress.
“He was a great guy,” Elmore said. “He had a heart of gold and loved to have a good time. This hits pretty hard, knowing it could have been any of us and us being friends.”
Illustrating Elmore’s thoughts, Shirley was awarded the Medal of Valor in 2020 for his response to photographer Tyler Gerth’s fatal shooting in Jefferson Square Park, according to the Louisville Courier-Journal.
Shirley previously worked as an EMT in Jefferson County.
“For police, if someone is really determined to kill you, they’re going to kill you. And that was the case here,” Shields said.
(Photo: JCSO Dep. Brandon Shirley)
By Ken Howlett, News Director
Contact Ken at ken@k105.com
