Knott County police shooting: Video shows fatal encounter with man shot by officers

GARNER, Ky. (WAVE) - Video shows the moments before a Knott County man was shot and killed during an encounter with police on Sept. 9, 2024.

Travis Pratt, 35, died after officers responded to a call on Seals Hollow Road. His family’s attorney said the shooting should have never happened.

“He was a local guy. Grew up in Knott County,” attorney David Barber said. “He was special to his family. He was special to a lot of people.”

Kentucky State Police released a statement after the shooting, saying there was an encounter with a man in Knott County and deadly force was used. Both a trooper and a Knott County Sheriff’s Deputy were placed on administrative leave.

The night before

The incident began the night before the shooting when Pratt’s mother called police for help. She told officers her son was having a mental breakdown and would not come home.

“Since 4 o’clock, he’s been like that,” she said in the call.

She asked officers not to hurt him and said he did not have any weapons.

Two troopers searched for Pratt, who had run into the woods. One of the troopers said he knew Pratt personally. The officers tried to coax him down, but Pratt refused to come out. They left, hoping he would come down on his own.

“I’ve never seen him this bad before, and I’ve dealt with him a bunch before. He’s been fine,” one trooper said.

The 911 call

The next day, a man who lived near Pratt called 911, saying someone was at his back door. The manhunt for Joseph Couch, the suspect accused of shooting randomly at people along I-75, was underway at the time.

“I’ll kill him if you don’t get somebody out here,” the caller said.

When asked if the person had weapons, the caller said he had a knife.

The man fired a shot while Pratt ran into a house next door and hid in a bathroom.

Troopers from Post 13 in Hazard and deputies from the Knott County Sheriff’s Office were dispatched at approximately 7:30 a.m. to the call for service on Seals Hollow Road. Dispatch indicated the subject was possibly armed with a knife and had unlawfully entered a residence.

The confrontation

Kentucky State Police Trooper Donnie Kelley arrived and tried to talk Pratt out of hiding.

“You ain’t got a gun in there, do ya?” Kelley said.

“No... yeah,” Pratt responded.

Barber said another trooper heard Pratt’s name over the radio and offered to help.

“Another officer who radios on the channel and says, ‘Hey, Travis Pratt, I know that guy. Have Trooper Kelley get me on the line and patch me through to him, and I can talk to him. I think I can calm him down,” Barber said.

That call never happened.

Barber said Kentucky State Police handed over all of the other recorded dispatch conversations, except for that one. The CAD, or dispatch communication records obtained by WAVE News Troubleshooters, does state another trooper called and offered to help.

“Somebody offers an exit ramp or at least an attempt to get off this road toward violence. And they didn’t take it, and there’s no explanation why,” Barber said.

Knott County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Levi Bolen arrived at the scene. Officers opened the bathroom door and deployed a Taser.

“Give him another one,” an officer said.

“Travis, his right hand is trying to pull one of the tasers out,” Barber said.

Officers told Pratt to drop what was in his hands and not to stand up. Shots were fired.

“They shoot him 13 times. That’s the end of Travis Pratt,” Barber said.

Pratt was pronounced dead at the scene by the Knott County Coroner at approximately 8:06 a.m.

What was found

Barber said officers found a chrome metal pipe from the shower head. No knife or gun was found.

He blames the troopers’ approach to the fatal outcome by, for example, not allowing time for Pratt to respond to commands while being shocked, or allowing the trooper who offered to talk to Pratt to do so. He also believes they should have followed several other procedures for a person who is barricaded in a bathroom.

“The Supreme Court on down says you don’t look at that last little moment. You look at everything that led up to it,” Barber said. “It’s not hindsight, it’s foresight. That’s why the rules are in place at the time. If they just follow their own procedures and not escalated this, there’s so many off-ramps that could have been taken, or at least should have been tried,” Barber said.

KSP’s investigation

Kentucky State Police’s account of events described officers arriving and communicating with Pratt, who was barricaded inside a room. During the interaction, Pratt verbally indicated to officers he had a firearm.

Suspecting Pratt was attempting to flee through a window, the room door was opened, and officers gave verbal commands to surrender, which were ignored, according to Kentucky State Police.

Their statement included that Kelley and Bolen both deployed their agency-issued Tasers, which were ineffective in subduing Pratt. They said Pratt refused following their verbal commands, and the officers perceived a deadly threat when they fired at Pratt.

They said Kelley is a 29-year veteran of Kentucky State Police, while Bolen only had one year with the Knott County Sheriff’s Office. They were both placed on paid administrative leave.

Barber is now suing for the alleged violation of Pratt’s civil rights.