Scott County deputy shot suspect after three-county chase, police say
A Scott County sheriff’s deputy shot and seriously wounded a pickup truck driver who led police on a three-county chase Thursday that ended on a farm on Pisgah Pike in Woodford County, state police said.
The driver was taken to University of Kentucky Chandler Hospital where he was in serious condition Thursday, said Trooper Bernis Napier, public affairs officer for Kentucky State Police Post 12.
The shooting occurred after a crash about 7:30 a.m. near the Midway exit on Interstate 64, police said. A black Ford F-150 left the scene of the crash. Napier said he was not aware that anyone had been injured in the initial crash.
Scott County deputies spotted the truck on Ironworks Road in Scott County. The truck did not stop for deputies, Napier said.
The chase went through Scott and Fayette counties before ending at the Woodford County farm near the Fayette County line. At the end of the pursuit, Scott County deputies confronted the man inside the truck, according to state police. During that confrontation, a deputy fired his weapon, Napier said.
More than one shot was fired, but police did not say if the driver was shot more than once. Napier said details about the shooting were under investigation.
The officer, Scott County deputy Dustin Smith, 39, was the officer who fired the shots. Smith is a five-year veteran with the sheriff’s office, was placed on routine administrative leave while the shooting is investigated by state police detectives and the agency’s Critical Incident Response Team, police said.
Numerous law enforcement agencies, including Lexington police and the Woodford County’s Sheriff’s Office, assisted in the investigation. Police also used a drone to help with the investigation.
“They’ve got drones in the air,” Napier said. “They’re also collecting evidence out of the (suspect’s) truck.”
Trey Crumbie: 859-231-3261, @CrumbieHLeader
This story was originally published December 28, 2017 at 10:04 AM with the headline "Scott County deputy shot suspect after three-county chase, police say."