LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Louisville Metro Police Chief Jackie Gwinn-Villaroel is being called into question because of her testimony in a civil trial earlier this week.
The trial stems from a 2021 police chase that resulted in a fatal crash that killed Trevon Mitchell. Mitchell's estate is now suing LMPD Officer Ben Sullivan, arguing the officer's negligence led to the crash.
While on the stand Tuesday, Chief Gwinn-Villaroel testified under oath that she was not wearing her body camera on scene. She said that if she had the device, she would have turned it on, per the department's policy.
However, the attorney for the victim showed evidence that she was in fact wearing her body camera the day of the crash.
"If you would have had it on, you obviously would have turned it on, right? Because you were out there you were interacting with the public, right?" the family's attorney asked.
"I would activate it," the chief responded.
"That your story you're sticking to it?" the attorney said.
Chief Gwinn-Villaroel, doubling down on her testimony, responded; "That's my statement."
The attorney then pulled up a picture of the LMPD chief standing at the scene of the accident with her bodycam circled.
"I want to show the jury some truth and transparency," the attorney said. "Where's the footage chief, did you delete it?"
WHAS11 reached out to Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg's office for a statement. The mayor's office responded in a statement, saying:
"After providing over six hours of testimony on an incident she responded to two-and-a-half years ago as then-Deputy Chief, Chief Gwinn-Villaroel misspoke in response to a gotcha question from a lawyer trying to inflame the jury and drive up their own payday."
Greenberg added that the department's chief has done a "great job building trust within the community" since taking over LMPD in January.
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