Tennessee Man Charged in Fatal Shooting of Kentucky State Trooper
Emonnie Dion Branch, who has a history of offenses, faces murder of a first responder charges and could face the death penalty or life imprisonment.
A Tennessee man with a lengthy criminal history has been charged in the fatal shooting of Kentucky state Trooper Hayden Phillips. Emonnie Dion Branch, 51, of Portland, Tennessee, was arrested and charged in Louisville on Monday night.
Phillips was shot when he pulled a vehicle over on Interstate 65 in Warren County. Branch fled the scene in his vehicle and was arrested by officers in Jefferson County, approximately 95 miles from where the shooting occurred.
Branch was ordered held without bail Tuesday after being booked into the Warren County Detention Center in Bowling Green. He faces charges of murder of a first responder. If convicted, he could face the death penalty or life imprisonment. During an arraignment hearing Tuesday, a judge denied him bail.
Prosecutors stated that Branch is a repeat offender and is named on an arrest warrant issued in Sumner County, Tennessee, in August for violating the terms of his probation. He was previously sentenced to probation last year after being convicted of fraud and impersonation. Authorities have not detailed the specifics of the probation violation.
Authorities are unsure why Phillips initiated the traffic stop, according to Trooper Katan Parker, a state police spokesperson in Bowling Green. U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Kentucky, Kyle Bumgarner, described the incident as a “routine traffic stop” and noted that officials responded within minutes of the shooting.
Phillips, who had been with the Kentucky State Police for three years, was based in Bowling Green. He was a husband and father of three. A funeral procession for Phillips took place Tuesday, with dozens of law enforcement vehicles escorting his body from Louisville to his hometown of Glasgow. Funeral arrangements are pending.
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear described Phillips as “a hero who dedicated himself to protecting our commonwealth.” Residents and first responders in Russell County, where Phillips had previously served as a firefighter, emergency medical technician, and police officer, attended a vigil for him on Monday night.