LMPD officer involved in Scottie Scheffler's arrest has already been disciplined

The Louisville Metro Police detective who was at the center of the arrest of the world’s best golfer Scottie Scheffler last week, was previously suspended for doing “doughnuts” with an “intoxicated civilian” in his police cruiser in a company parking lot and missing court dates, according to documents obtained by the Courier Journal.

In addition, Detective Bryan Gillis – who was directing traffic following a fatal accident at the time of Scheffler’s encounter – was involved in four “at-fault” accidents while operating LMPD vehicles, and in two of those cases he was required to undergo mandatory driver education.

The Courier Journal gained access to Gillis’ personnel file under Kentucky’s Public Records Act late Thursday afternoon, just hours after LMPD Chief Jacquelyn Gwinn-Villaroel announced the detective had been “counseled” for not using his body camera during his confrontation with Scheffler last Friday.

Scottie Scheffler arrested during PGA Championship: What happened?

Gillis, who has been with LMPD for nearly 17 years, was directing traffic near Gate 1 of the Valhalla Golf Club early Friday morning after a pedestrian was killed by a shuttle bus. Gillis came into contact with Scheffler as the golfer was on his way to the PGA Championship.

According to an indictment, Scheffler was driving a marked PGA player vehicle eastbound toward Gate 1 when he moved into the westbound lane “where traffic was flowing out of that direction” to avoid the backup caused by the collision.

Gillis was “in the middle of the westbound lane, in full uniform and wearing a high-visibility yellow reflective rain jacket” when he stopped Scheffler and “attempted to give instructions,” the complaint said.

LMPD alleged that Scheffler refused to comply and drove forward, knocking Detective Gillis to the ground. Detective Gillis suffered pain, swelling, and abrasions to his left wrist and knee.

What is in Detective Bryan Gillis’ disciplinary record?

In September 2013, then-LMPD Chief Steve Conrad suspended Gillis for five days for an incident in December of the previous year. During that incident, Gillis allegedly gave an “intoxicated civilian” a ride in his vehicle while doing “donuts.”

“You violated Standard Procedure 5.1.3 Inappropriate Conduct when, while on duty in a non-emergency situation, you gave an intoxicated civilian a ride in your police vehicle as a ‘Code 3’ and subsequently did ‘donuts’ in a company parking lot,” Conrad wrote.

He added: “Any further violations of this nature will result in severe disciplinary action.”

The LMPD’s current standard operating procedure defines a “Code 3” as an emergency response that may be used in the presence of numerous factors, including authorized pursuits, an injured or at-risk officer, and traffic accidents resulting in serious physical injury or hazardous conditions.

Gillis was suspended at least three times for missing court dates, and also received a reprimand for missing a court date.

His last suspension for court failure occurred in 2012, when he was suspended for four days.

The detective, who currently works in the LMPD’s traffic unit, was involved in four “at-fault” accidents involving service vehicles.

More:LMPD officer violated regulations by not using bodycam during arrest of Scottie Scheffler, says chief

His most recent accident occurred in May 2021. He received a verbal reprimand for this accident.

In 2008 and 2014, Gillis was required to take driver training courses due to accidents.

Also in 2021, Gillis received a reprimand for an incident in which he “pursued a vehicle that had not committed a violent crime or was wanted on a warrant” and failed to notify MetroSafe before initiating the pursuit.

What else do we know about Detective Bryan Gillis?

According to several outside employment application forms, Gillis also works part-time for other companies, primarily as a security guard at large department stores and as a traffic manager.

Last month, Gillis filled out a part-time employment application form, requesting permission to work as an “accident investigator for attorneys and insurance companies.”

He requested to work in plain clothes because he would be “conducting private investigations in which I do not represent the LMPD.”

While with the LMPD, Gillis received several letters of commendation for his service, the most recent of which was dated May 21. The letter states that Gillis was part of a team that helped ensure traffic flow during heavy rain for the funeral service for a family member of a retired LMPD lieutenant.

In November 2021, Gillis was among a group of officers praised by then-Police Chief Erika Shields for issuing 108 tickets during a four-hour operation. Gillis and the other officers were praised in the letter for their strong work ethic, diligence and tenacity.

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