NEWS REPORTER OF THE YEAR

Samantha Valentino

Air date | Various

Running Time | 9:58

On December 23, 2024, London Police say Doug Harless was shot and killed by one of their officers during an attempt to serve a search warrant.

In the days after his death, questions were raised about whether police were at the wrong home that night.

WKYT's Samantha Valentino started asking questions of city officials, the majority of which went unanswered. London Police have yet to release a copy of the search warrant they were attempting to serve.

Through her continued coverage of the case, Samantha was the first to report many details, including why police were in Harless' neighborhood that night, who the responding officers were, and why they weren't wearing the body cameras the department had previously purchased.

She was the first to obtain surveillance video of the shooting and to speak with a member of Harless' family on camera. All of the above stories were completed as dayturns.