The Louisville Metro Police detective at the center of the arrest last week of the world’s No. 1 golfer, Scottie Scheffler, was previously suspended for performing “donuts” with an “intoxicated civilian” in his police vehicle in a business parking lot and for missing court dates, records obtained by The Courier Journal show.
Additionally, Detective Bryan Gillis — who was directing traffic following a fatal accident at the time of the encounter with Scheffler — was involved in four “at fault” accidents while operating LMPD vehicles. In two of those instances, he was ordered to take mandatory driver’s training.
The Courier Journal obtained Gillis’ personnel file under Kentucky’s open records law late Thursday afternoon, hours after LMPD Chief Jacquelyn Gwinn-Villaroel announced the detective had been “counseled” over his failure to use his body camera during his confrontation with Scheffler last Friday.
Scottie Scheffler’s arrest during the 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 made his way to compete in the PGA Championship.
According to an arrest citation, Scheffler was driving eastbound in a marked PGA player vehicle toward Gate 1 when he pulled into a westbound lane, “where outbound traffic was flowing,” to bypass the backup caused by the collision.
Gillis was “in the middle of the westbound lanes, in full uniform and a hi-visibility yellow reflective rain jacket,” when he stopped Scheffler and “attempted to give instructions,” the citation said.
LMPD alleged Scheffler “refused to comply and accelerated forward, dragging Detective Gillis to the ground. Detective Gillis suffered pain, swelling and abrasions to his left wrist and knee.”
What is in Detective Bryan Gillis’ discipline record?
In September 2013, then-LMPD Chief Steve Conrad suspended Gillis for five days for an incident the previous December, in which Gillis allegedly drove an “intoxicated civilian” in his vehicle while doing “donuts.”
“You violated Standard Operating Procedure 5.1.3 Conduct Unbecoming when you drove an intoxicated civilian in your police vehicle while on duty in a “Code 3” fashion in a non-emergency situation and proceeded to doing “donuts” in a business parking lot,” Conrad wrote.
He added: “Any further violations of this nature will warrant severe discipline.”
In LMPD’s current Standard Operating Procedure, a “Code 3” is defined as an emergency response that may be used in the presence of many factors, including authorized vehicle pursuits, an officer injured or in danger of injury and traffic accidents resulting in serious physical injuries or hazardous conditions.
Gillis has been suspended for missing court appearances at least three times, while also receiving a letter of reprimand over missing court.
His last suspension for missing court came in 2012, when he was suspended for four days.
The detective, who is currently with LMPD’s traffic unit, has been involved in four “at fault” accidents while driving department vehicles.
His most recent one was in May 2021. He was given an oral reprimand for that accident.
In 2008 and 2014, Gillis was ordered to take driver’s training over accidents.
Also in 2021, Gillis received a letter of reprimand over an incident in which he “pursued a vehicle that did not commit a violent felony or (was) wanted on a warrant” and failed to notify MetroSafe before initiating pursuit.
What else do we know about Detective Bryan Gillis?
According to several secondary employment request forms, Gillis also has outside employment with other companies, mostly for providing security at big box stores and directing traffic.
Last month, Gillis filled out a secondary employment request form requesting permission to work as a “collision investigator for lawyers and insurance companies.”
He requested to be allowed to operate in plainclothes, as he would be working “private investigations where I am not representing LMPD.”
Throughout his tenure at LMPD, Gillis has received multiple letters of commendation for his service, with his most recent one dated May 21. In that letter, Gillis was said to have been part of a team that helped facilitate the flow of traffic for a funeral visitation service for a retired LMPD lieutenant’s family member during heavy rainfall.
In November 2021, Gillis was part of a group of officers commended by then-Chief Erika Shields for issuing 108 citations during a four-hour operational period. Gillis and the other officers were praised in the letter for their strong work ethic, diligence, and tenaciousness.
After police training, Gillis was briefly assigned to LMPD’s 2nd Division, which operates in the West End. He became a member of the department’s 8th Division, which operates in northeast Jefferson County, in late 2008 before transferring to the traffic unit in 2014.