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The lawyer for a Kentucky police detective accused of threatening to kill his co-workers claims that he has PTSD.
Louisville Metro Police Department Detective Christopher Palombi has been accused of creating a "kill list" that included the names of his co-workers. While he has been served with a pretermination notice, his lawyer claims that his alleged behavior stems from PTSD he developed while serving overseas.
"He has a severe case of PTSD, which he sustained in combat in Afghanistan in 2014 and also from his duties with LMPD during the riots," attorney Thomas Clay told the Louisville Courier-Journal. "He's had incidents where this PTSD has caused him to basically black out, and he can't remember things he says or does, [but] he didn't hurt anybody."
According to the pretermination notice, Palombi is accused of making statements expressing his desire to kill his co-workers by bringing guns to work. He also allegedly mentioned specific people that he wanted to kill, resulting in lead homicide Detective Donnie Burbrink urging employees not to go to the office, local news station WLKY reported.
"I'm not going to say the concerns by LMPD are unjustified," Clay told WLKY. "Certainly they are justified, but what I'm saying is that LMPD needs to have a more conciliatory approach to try to help him work through these issues rather than just cut the cord and set him out adrift with no prospects for employment."
Clay is not the only person who is defending Palombi from these accusations. His wife, Kristen, also wants to help clear his name.
"My husband is not somebody that would make a hit list," she told WLKY. "My husband is not somebody who would go to work and kill his colleagues. My husband is not somebody that would hurt people. His job has been to save people. For him to be painted in this light absolutely sickens me."
She also took issue with an implied double-standard regarding her husband's PTSD.
"It sickens me that the department has said that, 'Oh we'll help you in any way we can,' and that they know it was mental health," Kristen continued. "It just blows my mind."
Further complicating matters is the fact that the LMPD has admitted that they do not have accurate information on whether or not a physical list was made by Palombi. In a statement published by the Courier-Journal, the department claimed that while it previously received inaccurate information, it is moving forward with Palombi's firing out of precaution.
"We have received a copy of a statement from the Sheriff's Office that contains information that we believe is inaccurate," said the statement. "For example—we have no information to believe there is a 'kill list' or that an individual in the Hall of Justice is a target. All appropriate precautionary measures are being taken."
Newsweek has reached out to Clay for further comment but has not received a response.
Update 2/18/2022 at 2:10 p.m. EST: This story has been updated with additional quotes from Thomas Clay, Kristen Palombi, and the Louisville Metro Police Department.
