Shooting suspect sustains life-threatening injuries after being shot by officers in Kentucky
A man accused of shooting another man in Pulaski County Monday engaged in an eight-hour standoff with law enforcement officers that ended with the suspect being shot by officers.
The suspect, Charles Wilson, 51, sustained life-threatening injuries, Kentucky State Police said.
The Pulaski County Sheriff’s Office said in a Facebook post that the day-long series of events began when they were called to a residence on Puncheon Creek Road in Pulaski County at 8:58 a.m., because a 68-year-old man had been shot.
The alleged shooter, identified by state police as Wilson, had returned to his home on Smith Ridge Spur Road, the sheriff’s office said.
Sheriff’s deputies surrounded Wilson’s mobile home on Smith Ridge Spur Road at 9:33 a.m. and used loudspeakers to try to get him to come out, but he did not respond, according to the sheriff’s office.
Instead, they said he fired shots at them from inside the mobile home.
The sheriff’s office called the state police to ask for help getting the man out of the residence just before 10:45 a.m., state police said.
The sheriff’s office said Sgt. Cary York was standing outside his vehicle at 11:15 a.m. when Wilson “shot at and hit the passenger side window.”
The sheriff’s office said Sheriff Greg Speck used another vehicle as cover and returned fire on Wilson, who was inside the home with a gun barrel pointed out the door in the sheriff’s direction.
“Before this shooting, the suspect had been firing a smaller caliber weapon, but this weapon was a larger caliber weapon believed to be a high-powered rifle,” the sheriff’s office said.
“At random intervals” through out the day, the sheriff’s office said Wilson continued to fire shots at officers from the sheriff’s office and state police. York returned fire on Wilson in an exchange at 1:52 p.m., the sheriff’s office said.
The sheriff’s office said they continued to try to get Wilson to surrender and allowed his family members to talk to him using loudspeakers.
At one point, the sheriff’s office said they deployed tear gas, but it was not effective in getting Wilson to come out.
The sheriff’s office said they turned the scene over to the state police at 3:46 p.m., since the Special Response Team’s armored vehicle would allow them to approach the home more safely.
“During their attempts, the suspect brandished a firearm, and he was shot and wounded by the Special Response Team,” according to the sheriff’s office. “Shortly after that, the suspect was removed from the residence by the Special Response Team. An ambulance from the Somerset/Pulaski County EMS, who had been stationed nearby since the incident started that morning, was summoned to come to the scene to treat the suspect.”
The sheriff’s office said Wilson was taken to Lake Cumberland Regional Hospital and later transferred to University of Kentucky Chandler Hospital, where he remained Tuesday night.
“Felony warrants have been obtained for the suspect but could not be served on him, due to his medical condition,” according to the sheriff’s office.
State police said the Pulaski County man injured in the initial shooting allegedly involving Wilson was taken to Lake Cumberland Regional Hospital, and the sheriff’s office said he was later transferred to UK. His injuries were not thought to be life-threatening.
The sheriff’s office is investigating the initial shooting, and state police in London are investigating the shooting that involved the sheriff’s office and Special Response Team, according to the sheriff.
The sheriff’s office said they found a .270 large-caliber rifle with scope, a .22 caliber rifle and a .380 handgun, along with shell casings and live rounds, in the home.
This story was originally published May 19, 2020 at 6:06 PM.
