Police shoot man who allegedly shot robbery victim in the head, led police on chase

A man was shot by a Kentucky State Police trooper early Saturday, after he allegedly shot another person during a robbery, then led officers on a high-speed chase that ended when he hit a Waffle House restaurant.

The incident began in Nelson County, where sheriff’s deputies were called to a home in the Boston community to investigate a robbery with shots fired at 2:01 a.m.

One person was found in the home’s kitchen with a gunshot wound to the head. The Nelson County Sheriff’s Office said the homeowner gave deputies a description of the man and his first name.

At 4:23 a.m., state police saw the vehicle with a driver matching the description of the robbery suspect heading west on Bluegrass Parkway at mile marker 12, according to a news release from state police.

When they tried to stop the vehicle, the driver continued on toward Elizabethtown, accelerating to more than 100 miles per hour.

State police used tire deflation devices to flatten the vehicle’s right front tire, but the suspect, identified as Justin Robert Hardin, 36, kept going.

State police said he merged onto Interstate 65 North, then exited at mile marker 94 and turned right onto U.S. 62.

Then, they said, Hardin turned in to the Waffle House parking lot and hit the front of the building.

At that point, state police say, “he failed to obey officer’s commands and at some point, a trooper discharged his firearm.”

Hardin was hit in the leg. He was taken to Hardin Memorial Hospital with injuries that were not life-threatening and then taken to the Hardin County Detention Center.

The Nelson County sheriff’s office said Hardin admitted to the shooting in the Boston community, which they said “does appear to be drug-related.”

The sheriff’s office said he’ll be charged with two counts of attempted murder, possession of cocaine, theft by unlawful taking-firearm and first-degree burglary.

The Hardin County Detention Center lists a host of charges, including two counts of first-degree wanton endangerment, one of which involved a police officer, as well as first-degree fleeing or evading, driving under the influence, menacing and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, among other charges.

While state police said Hardin is from Orange Beach, Ala., the jail listed his address as Ludlow, Ill.

State police said the agency’s Critical Incident Response Team is investigating the officer-involved shooting.

This story was originally published January 26, 2019 at 8:41 PM.