Kentucky Trooper Killed During Car Chase; Suspect Later Killed

A Kentucky state trooper died from gunshot wounds suffered during a chase on Sunday and the man suspected of firing the shots was hunted down and killed on Monday by a special response team.

Trooper Joseph Cameron Ponder, 31, stopped a vehicle driven by Thomas Johnson-Shanks, 25, on Interstate 24 near Princeton about 10:20 p.m., according to KFVS-TV.

A woman and two children, ages 2 and 5, were inside the vehicle when Johnson-Shanks drove away, beginning a chase. After several miles, Johnson-Shanks abruptly stopped and caused Ponder's cruiser to rear-end his vehicle.

"At this time, the driver of the suspect vehicle fired several shots into the police cruiser striking the hood, windshield and Trooper Ponder multiple times," said a Kentucky State Police statement posted on Facebook.

"The suspect fled the scene on foot. Trooper Ponder was transported via ambulance to the Caldwell Medical Center in Princeton, where he succumbed to his injuries at 11:41 p.m. CST," the statement said.

Authorities found Johnson-Shanks in a wooded area near Interstate 24 about 7 a.m. Monday. A special response team observed him with a weapon and said he pointed it at troopers. They fired on him after he refused commands to drop the weapon, reported WHAS-TV. He later died at the same hospital where Ponder died.

Ponder graduated from the state police training academy in January. A U.S. Navy veteran, he was the second Kentucky State trooper to die in the line of duty this year.

"He was very proud to be a Kentucky State Police trooper," fellow trooper Jay Thomas told KFVS-TV. "He was new and he was eager. He absolutely loved his job."

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