LOUISVILLE, Ky. — A Kentucky police officer who was shot in 2020 during protests over Breonna Taylor’s death is suing his department, alleging his superiors discriminated against him after he expressed his opinion about Taylor's shooting.
Louisville Officer Robinson Desroches alleged in the lawsuit that Black officers like himself “who discuss race or criticize their experience related to race are vilified as betraying 'the thin blue line.’”
In the lawsuit filed Monday in Jefferson County, Desroches alleged some leaders tried to push him out of the department after he "firmly stated that the true reason he was shot in the line of duty is ‘because LMPD officers killed Breonna Taylor.'” He said one commander criticized his long rehabilitation after he was seriously wounded in the shooting.
The Louisville Metro Police Department declined to comment on the lawsuit Tuesday, but said in a statement that the department “strives to create an inclusive environment where employees feel welcomed, valued, and respected. The department takes seriously any accusations of harassment and/or discrimination.”
“When employees injured in the line of duty are ready to return to work, LMPD strives to provide reasonable accommodations to place the employee in alternative roles in the department until they are cleared by a doctor to return to full duty,” the LMPD statement said.
Desroches remains a Louisville police officer but is on workers compensation leave for his physical and mental health, his attorney Sara Collins said Tuesday.
Desroches and another officer were shot during intense street protests in Sept. 2020. The unrest occurred after former Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron announced a grand jury had declined to indict the officers who shot Taylor during a deadly police raid earlier that year.
Desroches was shot in the stomach, and the bullet traveled close to his spine. It took more than a year before he was able to return to work on light duty, the lawsuit said. The other officer was not seriously wounded.
When Desroches returned to duty, he was assigned to the recruitment department and superiors later approached him about taking on a role doing speaking engagements for media coverage.
Desroches said in the lawsuit that he believes the department wanted to use his experience as a Black officer who was shot during the 2020 protests to “improve LMPD’s publicity and recruitment efforts.”
He declined the position, saying he “did not want his image and story twisted to portray a false narrative about LMPD,” since he held some negative views about the department, the lawsuit said.
Desroches said his superiors soured on him after that, and he was not offered a recruiting position upon returning to full-time status, according to the suit. He alleges he also was told by a command staffer last year that “there was a target on his back,” the suit said.
The man who shot Desroches, Larynzo Johnson, pleaded guilty in 2022 to two counts of assault, along with dozens of counts of endangerment. He was sentenced to 13 years in prison.
Desroches is seeking punitive and compensatory damages from the Louisville Police department.