EDDYVILLE, Ky. -The man suspected in the weekend shooting death of a Kentucky state trooper has been shot and killed, law enforcement said Monday.
Joseph Thomas Johnson-Shanks was hiding about 2 miles from where he shot and killed Trooper Cameron Ponder, according to Trooper Jay Thomas.
Authorities initially announced on Lyons County’s official Facebook page that Johnson-Shanks was in custody.
They’ve provided little detail so far on events leading up to his death.
There are reports he pointed a gun and refused to drop it before he was shot.
Ponder had tried to pull over Johnson-Shanks on Sunday but Johnson-Shanks took off. Ponder pursued for 9 miles, authorities said, and when both cars stopped on Interstate 24 in western Kentucky, Johnson-Shanks shot multiple times at the trooper.
Ponder died late Sunday at a hospital.
Johnson-Shanks ran away. Not much is known about him, Thomas said, except that he was 25 and was from Florissant, Missouri which is near Ferguson.
Ponder is a veteran of the U.S. Navy.
