Kentucky authorities apprehend suspect in fatal shooting of state trooper along highway

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SMITHS GROVE, Ky. (AP) — 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.

“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.”

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 that the suspect was taken into custody by police in Louisville. The suspect was not immediately identified. State police planned a news conference Monday night in Bowling Green.

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear called Phillips “a hero who dedicated himself to protecting our commonwealth.”