By Mark Maynard
Kentucky Today
A Kentucky state trooper was fatally shot along an interstate highway Monday, and a suspect was later apprehended, state police said.
Trooper Hayden Phillips was shot while patrolling along northbound Interstate 65 in Warren County, Kentucky state police said in a statement on social media. Phillips was based out of Bowling Green in south-central Kentucky.
Authorities began searching for a suspect and a Honda Civic with an Alabama license plate that was present at the scene of the shooting. State police announced later the suspect, identified as Emonnie Branch, was taken into custody by police in Louisville.
“Our hearts break for Trooper Phillips’ family, loved ones, and fellow troopers as we grieve this tremendous loss,” Col. Phillip Burnett Jr., commissioner of the Kentucky State Police, said in the statement. “We will carry his memory with us, honor the life he lived and the badge he wore, and stand together as an agency to support this family in the days ahead.”
Gov. Andy Beshear called Phillips “a hero who dedicated himself to protecting our commonwealth. Even more, he was a devoted husband and loving father to three children. Let us wrap our arms around this family during this unimaginable time.”
House Speaker David Osborne, R-Prospect, said in a statement Kentucky lost a dedicated public servant.
“There are no words that can adequately express our sympathy to Trooper Phillips’s family, friends, and loved ones,” Osborne said. “We grieve with them and with the entire Kentucky State Police family.”
Attorney General Russell Coleman confirmed in a statement that detectives from his office were on the scene. “Behind the badge was a man with a family, brothers and sisters in gray, and a grateful commonwealth,” Coleman said in a press release. “Detectives from the Attorney General’s Office were on the scene and will continue to support our Kentucky State Police colleagues.”
A BLUE Alert was sent out Monday around 3:30 p.m., alerting the public that a suspect is wanted in connection with a “severe attack” against a member of law enforcement. The incident happened in Warren County, state police say.