Louisville Metro Police Department Chief Paul Humphrey is walking back recent comments he made about Latasha “Tasha” White, a Black woman allegedly murdered by her boyfriend in May, after facing swift criticism.
White’s family and their supporters say police reacted too slowly to her disappearance. She was found shot to death near Buechel, in southeast Louisville, less than a week after her family filed a missing persons report. The police department has argued the family did not give them any information to suggest White was in imminent danger.
Humphrey was asked again about the family’s criticisms at LMPD’s bi-weekly press conference Wednesday. That’s when he made the comment White’s family and some city officials are saying was "inappropriate."
“I know there was a lot of criticism thrown at LMPD at the onset, but I will tell you that Tasha White's behavior placed her in the position she ultimately ended up in,” Humphrey said.
At the time, the chief did not elaborate on why he believed White was somehow responsible for her own murder, saying he “wanted to get further along in the prosecution” before providing any more details.
Humphrey’s comments were immediately met with criticism online and four Democratic Metro Council members held a press conference to respond Thursday morning.
Standing across from Metro Hall in downtown Louisville, District 1 Council Member Tammy Hawkins demanded an apology from the chief within 24 hours.
“The tongue is deadly,” Hawkins said. “What he said was unfair … Nobody purposefully puts themselves in a situation to have their life taken.”
Joining Hawkins at the press conference were District 3’s Shameka Parrish-Wright, District 4’s Ken Herndon and Donna Purvis, who represents District 5. All of them represent majority-Black neighborhoods in west Louisville and Shively.
Council Member Shameka Parrish-Wright said she believes White’s disappearance wasn’t given the proper attention because of her race. She questioned whether a police official would have made a similar comment about Crystal Rogers, a white woman who went missing in Nelson County in 2015 whose case has drawn significant media attention.
“There is a problem when Black people are involved and just because we have a Black chief doesn’t mean our problems are solved,” she said. “That chief must stand up and stand for every one of us.”
Purvis’ comments were brief. She stepped up to the podium and said Humphrey’s comments reflected what was in his heart.
“When people show you who they are, believe them the first time,” Purvis said, repeating a quote from Maya Angelou.
Summer Dickerson, an activist who helped organize a citywide search for White, called Humphrey’s comments “absolutely ridiculous and unacceptable.” She also questioned what message it would send to other victims and their families.
“I have had a ton of victims reach out and talk about how traumatized they are because the person that’s supposed to — as we all know they don’t, but — supposed to serve and protect, in 20 seconds, traumatized the whole community,” she said.
The chief responds
Humphrey held his own press conference Thursday afternoon to respond to the criticism.
He apologized to White’s family and residents for his comment the previous day.
“I apologize, particularly to Ms. White’s family, for the lack of sensitivity and the lack of clarity in my words and how that contributed to their pain,” he said. “I should not have said it that way.”
Humphrey said he wanted to be clear in the fact that White’s boyfriend, Jamie Shelby, was the one responsible for her death. Shelby has been charged, but not convicted, for White’s murder.
After apologizing, Humphrey turned to trying to explain why he said what he did, calling the murder “a very complicated case.”
Humphrey told reporters police believe White and Shelby were “en route together to commit another murder” when Shelby killed White. He said she was killed using her own gun.
“The last evidence we have of Latasha White being alive is her taking down her surveillance cameras at her own house at 2 a.m.,” Humphrey said. “Her cell phone was turned off at this time and left in her house. This is often done to obscure someone’s location or hide their movements.”
Humphrey added that police believe White purchased items, including dark clothing, to aid in this alleged scheme.
The chief declined to provide any formal evidence after a reporter asked how police came to believe White was part of a murder plot. Humphrey said he couldn’t give more specifics because the investigation and Shelby’s prosecution are ongoing.
Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg also issued a statement following Humphrey’s follow-up press conference.
“I appreciate Chief Humphrey for issuing a public apology for his comments following the death of Tasha White,” he said. “Acknowledging mistakes—especially those that deepen the pain of a grieving family—is essential to rebuilding trust in our community.”
Greenberg said he was thankful to everyone working to bring justice to White’s family.
This story was updated.
