In the summer of 2019, a tragedy unfolded in southwest Louisville that cut short the life of Steven Oerther, a 59-year-old male resident of the city. On the evening of Tuesday, June 4, 2019, police were dispatched to an apartment in the 3200 block of Springfield Drive, near St. Andrews Church Road, where they discovered Oerther inside, suffering from a fatal gunshot wound.
The coroner's report would later confirm his death at the scene, pronounced at 11:24 p.m.
The immediate aftermath of the shooting saw a swift arrest. Just hours after Oerther was found, in the early morning hours of Wednesday, police took 60-year-old Edward Lackington into custody. According to the arrest report, Lackington was present at the scene when officers arrived and approached them with his hands in the air. In a significant development, authorities stated that Lackington made 'spontaneous utterances to officers that he shot the victim.'
Further strengthening the case against him, police indicated that other witnesses at the scene also identified Lackington as the individual responsible for the shooting. Following his arrest, Lackington was charged in connection with Steven Oerther's death and was scheduled for a court appearance that Thursday. The incident left friends and family to mourn the loss of Oerther, with funeral services being held the following week to honor his memory.
