LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Two people have been arrested in connection with the kidnapping and death of 25-year-old Jermaine Sprewer.
Louisville Metro Police (LMPD) held a joint press conference with members of the ATF and FBI Louisville field offices Wednesday afternoon to discuss the latest updates on the case.
According to LMPD, 31-year-old Roderick Bush and 28-year-old Dejuan Simonton were taken into custody on Jan. 12 after officials served multiple warrants. Both men have been charged with murder and kidnapping.
Bush and Simonton are scheduled to be arraigned on Tuesday, Jan. 18 at 9:30 a.m.
When LMPD officers and ATF agents went to execute a search warrant on Wednesday, Jan 12, shots were fired at them.
According to the police report, agents used a loudspeaker to identify themselves as law enforcement and to inform the residents about which home and person they were targeting.
Shots were fired at ATF agents after they forced entry into the home.
Donald Simonton, 68, admitted to firing at someone standing in the doorway after he heard loud knocking and saw the front door swing open. But he stated he did not know it was police entering his home.
He is charged with attempted murder of a police officer and wanton endangerment of a police officer with a bond set at $250,000.
It is unclear if Donald Simonton is connected with the Jermaine Sprewer case.
Case Background
Jermaine Sprewer went missing on Sept. 7, 2021. LMPD said Sprewer's family received a FaceTime call from an unknown location showing Sprewer bound with several guns pointed at him. An unidentified assailant demanded a large sum of money.
Sprewer's body was later discovered on a boat ramp in Shawnee Park on Sept. 11. Family and friends were able to identify the body as Sprewer's while police waited for confirmation from the coroner.
"I wish I could wrap my arms around him again, and I can't because these animals took him away from us," Darlene Fuller, Sprewer's aunt, said after his death.
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