Police in Louisville, Kentucky, arrested a 57-year-old man who allegedly shot a woman after she got upset with him for eating her children’s snacks.
The Louisville Metropolitan Police Department arrested Kenneth Beals on Sunday, December 28, after he allegedly shot a woman in her left arm. The woman, whose name is not available, suffered a non-life-threatening injury and drove herself to the emergency room.
Beals was charged with second-degree assault and possession of a handgun by a convicted felon. He is in custody at the Louisville Metropolitan Detention Center on a $5,000 bond and was arraigned on Monday. Beals is scheduled for a preliminary hearing on January 6.
⚠️ WARNING: This post contains descriptions of gun violence and assault
A Louisville man has been arrested and charged after allegedly shooting a woman who confronted him for eating snacks she had brought for her children. Kenneth Beals, 57, was taken into custody on Sunday,… pic.twitter.com/spNC8HPqwW
— True Crime Updates (@TrueCrimeUpdat) December 31, 2025
The woman told police that her aunt found Beals eating food she had bought for her children. The woman soon ran into Beals and asked him whether he had eaten the snacks. It remains unclear what the relationship between Beals and the victim was.
“Yes, I ate your snack,” Beals allegedly told her, “and it was good.” At that point, he drew his gun and shot the woman.
The woman and witnesses identified Beals, who was subsequently arrested. It is not known how old the woman or her children were, nor is it clear if the children were present at the time of the shooting.
“Someone needs conflict resolution classes,” read one Facebook comment.
Coroner identifies man killed in Christmas Day shooting near Valley Station in Louisville LMPD’s Homicide Unit is investigating. Ellis said investigators believe “all parties” are accounted for. https://t.co/EwdnYOqqs6
— Oremus4Pacem (@1032shotsfired) December 28, 2025
The Beals arrest comes amid a recent rash of violent crimes in Louisville. A 15-year-old boy died after a shooting on Sunday morning, only hours after a 53-year-old man was shot in a parking lot and later died of his injuries. The Jefferson County Coroner’s Office identified the man as Anthony Beals, and it is unclear if he was related to Kenneth Beals. That incident took place in the Park Hill neighborhood, as did the Kenneth Beals incident.
A 34-year-old man was shot near Valley Station in Louisville on Christmas Day and was pronounced dead at the scene. Louisville officially surpassed the 100-homicide mark in November, marking its sixth straight year of triple-digit homicides.
“The trauma is the same,” Dr. Eddie Woods, who works with No More Red Dots, a nonprofit aimed at stopping gun violence, told WLKY in November. “It’s profound. You know, the PTSD is ongoing.”
At that time, Louisville Councilwoman Tammy Hawkins and Councilman Ken Herndon said that they hold violence-prevention meetings with the community. Those conversations often include conversations regarding resources such as housing, transportation, employment, and crisis services.
“These meetings aren’t just about balance and what leads to balance, but they also give you the tools that you need to succeed,” Hawkins said.
