BOWLING GREEN, Ky. — Bowling Green police officer Matt Davis is hospitalized in critical but stable condition after an officer-involved shooting Thursday. An unidentified man was killed in the shooting.

What You Need To Know

  • Officer Matt Davis was involved in a shooting that left him in critical condition

  • An unidentified man was killed during the incident

  • Kentucky State Police is investigating this officer-involved shooting

  • Davis is in critcal, but stable condition

The shooting happened approximately at 5:25 p.m. CT at Car-Mart off of Russellville Road, but few details about what happened are being released. Car-Mart is a car dealership and, according to its website, is closed until further notice.

The Kentucky State Police’s Critical Incident Response Team is investigating the incident. KSP says Davis received life-threatening injuries and a male subject was pronounced dead at a hospital.

KSP is the lead agency on this investigation and all officer-involved shootings in the state.

Bowling Green Police chief Michael Delaney issued a statement on social media and said he would not comment on what happened. Delaney thanked the community for its support and said Officer Davis was flown to a trauma center where he is recovering.

Ashly Herald works near the Car-Mart and was there when the shooting happened. She told Spectrum News 1, “We had a few customers inside and then all of a sudden we heard all these sirens.”

Bowling Green police officer Matt Davis was shot on July 6 outside the Car-Mart. Another man died in this officer-involved shooting. (Spectrum News 1/Austin Schick)

She said several police cars rushed down Russellville Road, and they weren’t sure what was happening.

“We noticed there was a bunch of traffic backed up the road here and whenever we got the store cleared out we came outside to see if we could see what was going on; we thought it was a car accident,” Herald said.

Jessie Williams lives in Bowling Green, and says it doesn’t matter where anyone lives, anything can happen.

“It’s happening every day, so it’s time for everybody to pull together and get it together. Life is too short. We got kids coming up. We don’t want nothing to happen to them. This man probably had a family to go home to. The violence just needs to stop,” Williams told Spectrum News 1.

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, D-Ky.,  commented on the incident. “Kentucky, please join Britainy and me in prayer for this officer, their family and fellow officers,” he said. Attorney General Daniel Cameron, R-Ky. shared a similar sentiment, saying, “We’re thinking of this officer, their family and the entire Bowling Green Police Department tonight.”

Officer Davis is a graduate of Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green and, according to his alumni profile, he’s been with BGPD for over ten years.

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