An intense multi-agency manhunt ended late Monday afternoon with the arrest of Emonnie Branch. The 51-year-old resident of Portland, Tennessee, is accused of shooting and killing a Kentucky State Trooper during a traffic stop on Interstate 65.
The shooting happened around 2 p.m. in Warren County near Bowling Green. Trooper Hayden Phillips pulled Branch over on the highway, but the routine stop quickly turned deadly when shots were fired from inside the vehicle.
Branch fled the area immediately after the shooting. State police quickly issued widespread alerts to law enforcement agencies across the state, kicking off a search that involved local, state, and federal officers.
Police set up highway watchpoints and followed leads that tracked the suspect’s movements north toward the Louisville area. Law enforcement agencies shared real-time updates as the search expanded across county lines.
Officers with the Louisville Metro Police Department spotted Branch in Jefferson County, about two hours away from where the shooting occurred. They moved in quickly and took Branch into custody without any further violence.
Branch is being brought back to Warren County, where he faces formal murder charges. Authorities have not yet released information regarding what led up to the shooting during the traffic stop.
Trooper Phillips was a three-year veteran of Kentucky State Police Post 3 in Bowling Green and a graduate of Cadet Class 103. He was a devoted husband and father who is survived by his wife and three young sons.
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