On the morning of August 10, 2024, a tragedy unfolded in New Albany, Indiana, involving a 25-year-old female named Kaitlynn June Lee. Kaitlynn was inside her apartment on Village Drive around 5:00 a.m., spending time with a friend in the kitchen. The two were reportedly enjoying themselves, laughing and recording a TikTok video, when their activity was abruptly interrupted by a loud banging on the kitchen window.
According to reports, Kaitlynn turned toward the noise and asked the person outside what they were doing there.
Moments later, gunshots shattered the glass. The individual outside, later identified by authorities as her ex-boyfriend Joshua K. Thompson, allegedly fired a weapon through the window, striking Kaitlynn in the head. The entire sequence of events, including the women dancing and the subsequent confusion and violence, was reportedly captured on the phone recording they had been making. First responders arrived at the scene to find Kaitlynn critically injured; she was transported to UofL Hospital, where she ultimately succumbed to her injuries and was pronounced dead.
The investigation quickly zeroed in on 25-year-old Thompson, with whom Kaitlynn shared a one-year-old child. Reports indicate that the two had a tumultuous history, described by friends and family as toxic. Kaitlynn had previously obtained a no-contact order against Thompson following a domestic battery incident in April 2024, though family members stated she had struggled to stay away from him due to ongoing harassment. On the morning of the shooting, Thompson allegedly went to the apartment to check if Kaitlynn was with another man, peering through the blinds before deciding to break the window with the barrel of his handgun and open fire.
Following the shooting, Thompson fled the scene but reportedly called his brother in a distraught state, confessing that he had shot the mother of his child. He subsequently contacted 911 to turn himself in. Police located and arrested Thompson, charging him with murder, invasion of privacy, criminal recklessness, and unlawful carrying of a handgun. He is currently being held without bond at the Floyd County Jail, with a trial date tentatively scheduled for March 2025. Kaitlynn leaves behind three children who are now in the care of relatives.
