Kentucky state trooper fatally shot during traffic stop on highway: Police
An on-duty Kentucky state trooper was fatally shot while conducting a traffic stop on a highway Monday, authorities said.
A suspect was taken into custody following an hourslong manhunt and has been charged with murder, officials said.
The trooper, Hayden Phillips, was patrolling Interstate 65 in Warren County, Kentucky, when the "severe attack" occurred near the 38-mile marker Monday afternoon, state officials said.
"During the traffic stop, Trooper Phillips was fatally shot by an occupant of that vehicle," Kentucky State Police Col. Phillip Burnett Jr. said during a press briefing late Monday.
The vehicle fled the scene, according to Burnett.
Authorities issued an alert for the possible suspect vehicle in the shooting, a bluish-gray 2025 Honda Civic, while warning that the individual was considered "armed and dangerous."
State police canceled the alert Monday evening, updating that the suspect had been taken into custody by Louisville police. Police identified the suspect as 51-year-old Emonnie Branch of Portland, Tennessee.
Branch was charged with murder of a first responder/peace officer. He was denied bond during his initial court appearance on Tuesday. He is also wanted on a probation-violation warrant out of Tennessee.
U. S. Attorney for the Western District of Kentucky Kyle Bumgarner said the Department of Justice is giving local agencies "every tool, every bit of support that we can to help them maximize the sentence that we hope that they can achieve."
"Tragically, Hayden was murdered on the side of the road, doing what is routine -- doing a traffic stop," Bumgarner said during the press briefing Monday. "He was senselessly murdered."
Burnett said Phillips' "dedication to duty and commitment to the commonwealth will not be forgotten."
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear remembered Phillips as a "hero who dedicated himself to protecting our commonwealth."
"Even more, he was a devoted husband and loving father to three children," Beshear said in a statement on social media. "Let us wrap our arms around this family during this unimaginable time."
