Kentucky State Trooper Hayden Phillips, 30, was shot and killed Monday during a traffic stop on Interstate 65 in Warren County, near Bowling Green. The killing set off a statewide manhunt that ended with the suspect in custody the same day.
Phillips leaves behind a wife and three young sons. He had served three years with Kentucky State Police, assigned to Post 3 in Bowling Green, and was a graduate of Cadet Class 103. Fellow troopers knew him as Unit 369.
State police first reported a trooper-involved shooting on northbound I-65 near the 38-mile marker, then asked the public to watch for a bluish-gray Honda Civic with an Alabama tag connected to the shooting. A Blue Alert named the wanted man as Emonnie Branch.
Louisville Metro Police arrested Branch, and state police canceled the alert. Kentucky State Police Commissioner Col. Phillip Burnett Jr. said Branch is being charged with the murder of a first responder. U.S. Attorney Kyle Bumgarner said Branch will be returned to Warren County to face state murder charges.
Authorities have not said why Phillips stopped the vehicle or whether Branch had a prior criminal record.
“He was senselessly murdered,” Bumgarner said at a Monday night news conference. “We have a wife that expected her husband to come home. We have three little boys who don’t have a dad.”
Bumgarner said the Justice Department would give Kentucky prosecutors and investigators “every tool” and “every bit of support” it could offer.
“One of our own was gunned down and murdered on the side of the road,” Bumgarner said.
Burnett said the agency would pursue justice for Phillips without letting up.
“We will seek justice for Hayden,” Burnett said. “Let me repeat that, we will seek justice for Hayden. We will not rest until this happens.”
Burnett said he mentioned Branch’s name only once during his remarks, condemning what he called the suspect’s “cowardly actions.” He also spoke directly to Phillips’ family.
“You will not walk this path alone,” Burnett said.
State police posted a tribute online: “Rest Easy U/369. We have it from here.”
Gov. Andy Beshear called Phillips a hero who dedicated himself to protecting Kentucky and “a devoted husband and loving father to three children,” asking the public to “wrap our arms around this family during this unimaginable time.”
Kentucky’s congressional delegation also responded. Rep. Brett Guthrie thanked law enforcement for its swift work and said Phillips’ wife, their three children and his colleagues were in his prayers. Rep. James Comer urged people to pray for Phillips’ family and fellow officers. Rep. Morgan McGarvey said, “Alongside his fellow KSP troopers and all who knew and loved him, we will not forget his service to our commonwealth.”
Country singer Lee Greenwood also mourned Phillips, writing that he and his wife, Kim, would “always stand with the men and women in blue.”
