Kentucky man charged with attempted murder after shooting at cops, police say
A Somerset man charged with shooting into nearby houses and trying to murder police officers told a detective he “felt people were after him.”
John M. Woody, 69, faces more than 20 total counts of wanton endangerment and attempted murder of officers.
The incident happened Sunday evening on East Mount Vernon Street in downtown Somerset, about a block from the police station, according to a news release and court records.
The initial investigation indicates that Woody shot from his house into other residences, Kentucky State Police said in a news release.
Somerset police responded, but requested assistance from the state police Special Response Team after Woody refused to come out.
State police said that after a brief standoff, Woody fired shots toward officers, who then used tear gas to subdue him.
Detective Keegan Bray interviewed Woody at Pulaski County Detention Center after the standoff.
Bray said in a citation that Woody said he felt people were after him, “prompting him to shoot” into another residence.
Woody also said he felt threatened by the police because there are “fake police,” and he didn’t think the Somerset department had officers available in the evening.
Woody also said he heard state police announce their presence, but said “you can’t trust that these days,” according to the citation.
Trooper Scottie Pennington, spokesman for the state police post at London, said Woody also admitted to using methamphetamine.
Court records indicate Woody has faced previous charges, including menacing, criminal mischief and trespassing.
In one incident last September, people told police they saw Woody “stagger” from his car in the First Baptist Church parking lot in downtown Somerset and cut the valve stem from a tire on their car while they were sitting in it.
The victims said they didn’t know Woody or why he cut their tire, according to a citation.
In another case, Somerset officers arrested Woody at the Pulaski County Public Library after he had been banned from the facility because of a problem.
Woody said he must have forgotten the ban, imposed two days earlier, according to a citation.
