KSP Trooper Hayden Phillips shot dead on I-65; suspect arrested in Louisville
Kentucky State Police Trooper Hayden Phillips, 30, was fatally shot during a traffic stop on Interstate 65 in Warren County. Suspect Emonnie Branch, 51, was arrested in Louisville Monday afternoon.
Suspect charged with murder after trooper killed during I-65 traffic stop
A suspect has been taken into custody following the fatal shooting of Kentucky State Police Trooper Hayden Phillips during a routine traffic stop on Interstate 65 in Warren County, bgdailynews.com reports.
Emonnie Branch, 51, of Portland, Tennessee, was arrested Monday afternoon by the Louisville Metro Police Department. Branch faces a charge of murder of a first responder and was expected to be transferred to Warren County Regional Jail in Bowling Green on Monday night.
Phillips, 30, a Glasgow resident assigned to KSP Post 3 in Bowling Green, conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle on I-65 shortly before 2 p.m. Monday when he was shot by an occupant. The vehicle then fled the scene. A passing motorist spotted Phillips near the 38-mile marker on northbound I-65 and alerted police.
The shooting triggered a large-scale response from multiple law enforcement agencies across the region. Public alerts identified the vehicle believed to be involved before Branch was named as the suspect.
Phillips had been a three-year veteran of the agency, a member of KSP Cadet Class 103 that graduated in 2023. He had previously served with the Russell Springs and Glasgow police departments. He is survived by his wife, their three children and his parents.
KSP Commissioner Col. Phillip Burnett Jr., speaking at a press conference Monday night at Hillvue Heights Church, said Phillips "made the ultimate sacrifice while patrolling I-65 in Warren County." Burnett condemned what he called the "cowardly actions" that led to the trooper's death and addressed the family directly.
"Please know we will seek justice for Hayden, we will not rest until this happens," Burnett said. "Most importantly, the KSP family will be there for you every step of the way, you will not walk this path alone, I promise you that."
KSP Trooper Katan Parker, public affairs officer for Post 3, spoke of his colleague with visible emotion, also thanking community members who brought food to the post or reached out with condolences.
"In moments like this the best thing you can look out and see is the community reaching out, being there for you and giving all kinds of support," Parker said. "Hayden was special, we're going to miss him so much … he was family and we can't thank the community enough."
Kyle Bumgarner, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Kentucky, credited coordinated efforts between local, state and federal agencies for the swift identification and arrest of the suspect.
"We were all committed to one purpose — to find the suspect, to get him out of our community and to hold him to justice to the maximum extent of the law," Bumgarner said. "This is, if not among, it's the most heinous crime that can be committed in our commonwealth — one of our own was gunned down and murdered on the side of the road."
Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear expressed his condolences in a post on X, describing Phillips as "a hero who dedicated himself to protecting our commonwealth" and "a devoted husband and loving father to three children."
U.S. Rep. Brett Guthrie, R-Bowling Green, also posted his condolences online. "Today, the Commonwealth mourns the loss of Kentucky State Trooper Hayden Phillips," Guthrie said. "Kentuckians will forever be grateful for his sacrifice."
Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman confirmed that detectives from his office were at the scene supporting KSP. "Behind the badge was a man with a family, brothers and sisters in gray and a grateful Commonwealth," Coleman said.
Kentucky House Speaker Rep. David Osborne issued a formal statement on behalf of the Kentucky House of Representatives. "Kentucky has lost a great Kentuckian and a dedicated public servant," Osborne said. "We will remember his service, honor his sacrifice and keep his family, his fellow Troopers and all who knew and loved him in our prayers."
The Glasgow Police Department announced on its social media pages the temporary closure of Happy Valley Road on Tuesday morning — between Glasgow Municipal Airport and Hatcher and Saddler Funeral Home — to allow for the safe passage of Phillips and his escort into Glasgow.
Source: Google News MT — Crime (en)