FRANKFORT, Ky. (LEX 18) — Shots were fired Tuesday morning near the Kentucky State Capitol.
Frankfort police said it all started when officers responded to reports of a stolen vehicle at 895 Louisville Road. An officer found the vehicle around 8:00 a.m. parked on Leawood Drive.
Officers attempted to make contact with a suspect in the area of the car, but he fled the scene.
"My heart just dropped with everything going on," said Rhonda Butler, who lives in Frankfort. "We heard there was an active shooter down south and thought that's what this was over. We don't really know."
Police say that a witness stated a second suspect was seen running from the area upon officer arrival. One of the individuals was seen across the road on Leawood Drive. When officers attempted to make contact he fled the area and several gun shots were fired. Officers began pursuit of him into a wooded area.
"We set up a perimeter on the suspect we believed to be armed," said Assistant Chief Lynn Aubrey with the Frankfort Police Department. "That suspect was shortly thereafter located on Shelby Street, and we believe he entered the parking garage there at the Annex."
Kentucky State Police were notified at this time and they found the suspect near the Capitol. KSP arrested Joshua Lee Gibson, 23, of Louisville, and charged him with two counts of fleeing/evasion (1st degree), criminal trespassing (2nd degree), and receiving stolen property.
Governor Andy Beshear's office released the following statement: "The Governor appreciates the professionalism and swift response from the Frankfort City Police, the Franklin County Sheriff's Office, and the Kentucky State Police."
Officers lost the second suspect when shots were fired and they are not actively chasing him. Police say there is no danger to the community.
Emails were sent out to Capitol staff to use caution. Local schools were locked down out of precaution but no students were in danger.
State Police Captain Paul Blanton says the Capitol Building and the Capitol Annex were briefly placed on lockdown during the search for the shooting suspect on Capitol grounds. It has since been lifted.
