In the early morning hours of January 13, 2015, the body of a Black male, 32-year-old Kipoyo Portas, was discovered by a passerby in a southwest Louisville neighborhood. The grim finding at the intersection of Manslick Road and Conn Alley prompted a swift response from police, who determined that Portas had been shot to death, likely several hours before he was found.
Residing on Valley Forge Way, Portas became the city's fifth homicide victim of the year.
The area where Portas's body was located was described by residents as being plagued by crime, with some expressing a desire to move due to the frequency of violence. In the immediate aftermath of the discovery, Louisville Metro Police began their investigation, canvassing the area for clues and appealing to the public for any information that might lead to a break in the case. At the time, police had not identified any suspects and no arrests had been made.
As part of their investigation, authorities publicly requested to speak with anyone who may have been at the Thoroughbred Lounge, a strip club located at the corner of Manslick Road and 7th Street Road, during the early morning hours of January 13th. Investigators hoped that patrons or staff might have seen or heard something that could prove helpful in solving the murder.
Despite their efforts and public appeals for information, the investigation into the shooting death of Kipoyo Portas has not led to any publicly announced arrests or the identification of any suspects in the years that have followed. The case remains an unsolved homicide, leaving a community to grapple with the unanswered questions surrounding the violent end to a young man's life.
