Suspect in trooper killing still on the loose, considered armed and dangerous
http://www.wave3.com/story/30021932/ksp ... yon-county
LYON COUNTY, KY (WAVE) - A Kentucky State Police trooper was shot and killed late Sunday night, during a high-speed chase on Interstate 24.
Trooper Joseph Cameron Ponder stopped a vehicle near the 58 mile marker on Interstate 24 at about 10:20 p.m. During the traffic stop, the driver took off.
Ponder chased the driver for about nine miles until the driver slammed on his brakes, causing the trooper to crash into his vehicle.
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KSP said the driver, identified as Joseph Thomas Johnson-Shanks, fired several shots into the trooper's cruiser.
Ponder was taken to Caldwell Medical Center in Princeton, where he died about an hour later.
Johnson-Shanks is a 25-year-old black man with brown eyes and black hair. He is 5'5" and weighs about 140 pounds. He was last seen wearing dark clothing.
He is considered armed and dangerous, Anyone who sees the suspect should avoid contact with him and call 911.
The search is focused on a wooded area along I-24 extending from Eddy Creek to Bells Creek in southern Lyon County.
Troopers have closed all lanes of I-24 between the 45 and 56 mile markers while they search for a suspect who fled the scene.
Traffic is being routed to KY 93 between the KY 293 Eddyville-Princeton Exit 45 Interchange and the KY 193 Cadiz-Princeton Exit 56 Interchange.
Trooper Ponder, 31, was a native of Rineyville, KY. Upon graduation from the KSP Training Academy in January 2015, he was stationed at Post 1, Mayfield and assigned to Trigg County.
