US: Man killed in police standoff may have been ‘hunting’ homeless people

admin Published: May 28, 2026 | Updated: May 28, 2026 3 minutes read

By Alex Suckow

LOUISVILLE, Kentucky (WLKY) — WARNING: The contents of this article are disturbing. Reader discretion is advised.

Louisville Metro police released grisly new details about a man who may have been “hunting” homeless people before he was killed by officers.

Michael Hristov, 21, was killed by police earlier this month at his home on W. Whitney Avenue, just south of Churchill Downs, where he lived with his mother.

According to LMPD, he brutally murdered a homeless person and injured another in December of last year.

On Wednesday, police released gruesome details about the condition in which the victim, Michael Howard, was found, as well as what they know about Hristov’s past.

Police said Hristov had a history of torturing animals, as well as idolizing serial killers and mass shooters. He also made quotes about a desire to “hunt homeless people.”

Howard, the man he’s accused of killing, was found on the side of Interstate 65. Some of his toes and another body part were cut off, and there were “various symbols” carved in his body.

Police said Hristov also stabbed another homeless person around the same time, but that person survived.

LMPD said a Reddit post helped different departments connect some dots. Someone had posted days prior to the stabbings that said, “possible serial killer in Louisville.”

Ultimately, investigators were able to connect that post to Hristov’s IP address. In other words, it appears he made that post himself.

Another important connector for police: Hristov’s scooter and tactical gear. Police recognized them from a time he crashed and it resembled what was seen near a stabbing scene. They said the video from that crash was important, a reminder that every little detail matters.

On Wednesday, LMPD also released police camera footage of the day they tried to serve his arrest warrant, and ultimately, fatally shot him.

At one point, you see a police drone go into the home, and Hristov takes aim and fires at it.

Hristov also made his own 911 call when police were surrounding him.

“I am not here to shoot at SWAT officers, I am here to be shot by them,” he tells the 911 operator.

He told her he had one gun and 150 rounds of ammunition.

LMPD said they had surveillance on his home for weeks prior to serving the warrant. The day they served the warrant, the police waited until his mother left.

Police say they may have saved more homeless people by solving this case and they say it’s possible Hristov committed other crimes against them that may not have been reported.

They are encouraging people to speak up.

“This is scary to know that there are people in our community, or there was somebody in our community, that was walking around daily with us and and had these intense… ideas you know, if you looked at him and saw him riding the scooter…you wouldn’t think that he was out to commit murder or to attack homeless individuals,” Deputy Chief Emily McKinley said.

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