Nelson County Sheriff Ed Mattingly stated bluntly Monday that officials were “glad” that a man who was shot by a deputy was “white,” adding that though they “shouldn’t have to be worried about that,” they didn’t want “backlash or violence” due to the public being “misinformed” by the media.
In a joint press conference Monday with Bardstown Police Chief Rick McCubbin about the shooting of John Kennedy Fenwick, 25, over the weekend, Sheriff Mattingly said candidly that they couldn't help but "take notice" of the mishandling of police-involved shooting cases by media outlets and were "glad" they wouldn’t have to deal with "misinformed" backlash due to racial implications.
MATTINGLY: We are glad that he is white, and we shouldn’t have to be worried about that. We do not want any backlash or violence in this community because people have been misinformed.
Mattingly underscored the role the media played in drumming up tension in communities, citing their failure to effectively educate the public about law enforcement and the legal system:
MATTINGLY: The media has not done a very good job of informing the public, and the public is not educated on how the system actually works. We don’t want those type of troubles in our community.
McCubbin explained the events leading up to the shooting of Fenwick. At around 9 a.m. Sunday, Fenwick was flagged down by an officer in a patrol car for driving a truck he allegedly stole from a local dealership. Fenwick backed the truck into the patrol car and then drove off, allegedly colliding with another patrol car in the process. Another deputy, Bryan Voils, caught up with Fenwick and ordered him to get out of the truck. When Fenwick allegedly tried to disarm Voils, who had his weapon drawn, Voils shot him. Fenwick was hospitalized in critical condition.
Mattingly and McCubbin announced that they had chosen to hand the investigation over the state police to avoid controversy.
Mattingly’s remarks start around the 12-minute mark.
Partial transcript via Raw Story. Video via Nelson County Gazette.
