On the morning of July 30, 2024, a violent intrusion shattered the quiet of a residence in the Jeffersontown neighborhood of Louisville, Kentucky. Police officers responded to a distress call around 10:20 a.m. at a home located in the 9900 block of Old Six Mile Lane, near Taylorsville Road. Upon arrival, authorities discovered a tragic scene inside the house where two individuals had been shot. One of the victims, identified as 20-year-old White male Joseph A.
Lewis, had sustained multiple gunshot wounds that proved fatal. The Jefferson County Coroner’s Office subsequently ruled his death a homicide, marking a somber end for the young man who died at the scene.
The investigation revealed that the victims were targeted while they were vulnerable, with reports indicating they were lying in bed when the assailant unlawfully entered the home. Alongside Lewis, a female victim was also struck by gunfire during the attack. Although she survived the initial assault, she suffered serious physical injuries to her face, shoulder, and hand, necessitating immediate hospitalization and surgical repair. The brazen nature of the mid-morning attack launched an intensive search by the Jeffersontown Police Department to identify the person responsible for the deadly home invasion.
Detectives utilized surveillance footage captured from the area to track down the perpetrator. This digital evidence proved crucial in linking 27-year-old Mikal T. Ballard to the crime. Approximately a week after the shooting, on a Tuesday in early August, law enforcement officers located and arrested Ballard. He was taken into custody and booked into the Louisville Metro Corrections facility, where he faced a litany of serious accusations stemming from the deadly encounter.
Following his arrest, prosecutors charged Ballard with murder, assault, and burglary. During his arraignment the day after his capture, he entered a plea of not guilty to the charges brought against him. The court set his bond at $500,000 cash as the legal process began to unfold, leaving the community and the grieving family to await further proceedings in the case involving the death of Lewis and the wounding of the surviving victim.
