William Josh Cole, known as Josh, was 26 when he was shot and killed in Lexington, Kentucky, on the evening of May 22, 2017. A verbal dispute with a man named Chanse Robertson escalated into a confrontation in which Cole was shot multiple times. He was taken to the University of Kentucky Medical Center and died of his injuries.

Robertson was arrested and initially charged with murder. He later pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of second-degree manslaughter and received a six-year prison sentence, with credit for more than 600 days already served. Cole’s mother Marita and his brother Jordan expressed deep grief and disappointment that the sentence did not match their sense of the loss. The family said a lack of witness cooperation on the night of the shooting affected the case’s outcome.

Cole is remembered by family as a son, brother, and father of two who did good things for his community. If anyone knew Josh or has information about the events of May 22, 2017, please come forward.