Lexington murder suspect was ‘caught off guard’ by shooting victim at apartment, cops say

A Mississippi man charged with killing a 22-year-old Lexington man told police he was “spooked” and “caught off guard” by the victim being in an apartment he entered, which prompted him to shoot.

Bobby Hubbard, 23, is charged with murder in the death of Doricky Harris, 22, in a September shooting at the Coolavin Apartments on West Sixth Street.

In a preliminary hearing Wednesday, Det. Steven Hudak, a homicide detective with Lexington police, said Hubbard told investigators he shot Harris because he “took him by surprise” when he entered the apartments.

According to court testimony, Hubbard told police he arrived at the Coolavin Apartments on Sept. 12, 2022, to meet and pick up a woman, who came out to his car. Before Hubbard arrived at the apartments, the woman allegedly told him that her boyfriend had tried to shoot her a few hours before and asked Hubbard to come get her.

A couple of hours before the shooting involving Hubbard, Hudak said police did receive a call to the same apartment complex. At the scene, officers found shell casings and a broken cell phone. However, police couldn’t find anyone involved in the incident to speak to officers.

When Hubbard arrived to pick the woman up, he asked if her boyfriend was inside the apartment but she did not know, according to police testimony. When Hubbard went inside the apartment, he told police that Harris’s presence “spooked him.” He pulled his gun from his waistband and shot Harris a single time in the chest.

According to police, they were called back to the scene where they found Harris yelling for help saying he had been shot. Harris was taken to University of Kentucky Hospital where he later died from his injuries.

Police spoke to witnesses, collected evidence and reviewed security footage, which showed Hubbard arriving to the scene moments before the shooting, and leaving shortly after, Hudak said.

Three weeks after the shooting, Hubbard was found in northern Kentucky with a handgun that matched a shell casing found at the scene, according to court documents.

Hubbard was arrested Jan. 21, 2023, by the Hattiesburg Police Department in Mississippi on the outstanding warrant. According to Hudak’s testimony, Hubbard was upset and emotional in the police interview.

Hudak testified he and other officers attempted to contact the woman and her family dozens of times to set up an interview. When police finally reached the woman, they said she did not comply and invoked her right to an attorney.

Fayette District Judge Bruce Bell said there was probable cause to send Hubbard’s case to the Fayette County Grand Jury, and denied the lowering of his bond which is currently set at $750,000.