Trooper Not Indicted in ‘25 Shooting Death

The Knox County Grand Jury has decided not to file any charges in connection with the Feb. 25 trooper-involved shooting of a Rockholds man in Knox County.
“In the matter of the Shooting Investigation of Steven Carter, the Knox County Grand Jury having met in the course of its duties and having heard evidence regarding the events that led to the shooting of Steven Carter, the Knox County Grand Jury makes the following report:”
“(1) Evidence was presented to the Knox County Grand Jury from Kentucky State Police. (2) The Knox County Grand Jury, having heard all the evidence, and being individually mindful of our oaths and responsibilities as Grand Jurors, do not find sufficient evidence of criminal responsibility regarding the events that resulted in the shooting of Steven Carter,” read the Dec. 19 grand jury report, which was signed by the grand jury foreperson.
The Feb. 25 trooper-involved shooting occurred just after 6 p.m.
The preliminary investigation indicated that troopers arrived at 635 Hubbs Hollow Road in Knox County to assist the Barbourville Police Department in executing an active arrest warrant for Steven M. Carter, 44, of Rockholds.
“Shortly after arriving on scene, a trooper located Mr. Carter behind the residence with a firearm. The trooper gave verbal commands for Mr. Carter to drop the firearm. During the encounter, the trooper fired his agency-issued firearm, fatally wounding Mr. Carter. The Knox County Coroner pronounced Mr. Carter deceased at the scene at 7:44 p.m.,” according to a Kentucky State Police (KSP) release.
The KSP Critical Incident Response Team (CIRT) was requested to investigate the trooper-involved incident, which is standard procedure in the event of an officer-involved shooting.
KSP has statewide jurisdiction and investigates officer-involved shootings throughout the commonwealth as requested by local, state and federal law enforcement agencies.