Kentucky State Trooper Navy Veteran Killed In Line of Duty

Trooper killed in Ky. was Navy veteran, standout athlete
WKRN web staff
Published: September 14, 2015

EDDYVILLE, Ky. (WKRN) – The Kentucky State Trooper fatally shot Sunday night was a Navy veteran and standout athlete in high school.

Trooper Joseph Cameron Ponder, 31, was killed after chasing Joseph Johnson-Shanks when he fled a traffic stop.

The suspect was later killed by troopers when he refused to put down his weapon during a brief standoff.

Ponder, who was engaged at the time of his death, was a U.S. Navy veteran and native of Rineyville, Kentucky.
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Ky. trooper shot to death after traffic stop; Suspect killed by police
WKRN Nashville
By Lori Mitchell
Published: September 14, 2015

EDDYVILLE, Ky. – The suspect wanted for shooting and killing a Kentucky State Trooper late Sunday night was shot to death by authorities Monday morning after he refused to put down his weapon.

According to police, 31-year-old Trooper Joseph Cameron Ponder conducted a traffic stop just before 10:30 p.m. on Interstate 24 west, near mile marker 58, south of the Cadiz Road exit and just over 100 miles northwest of Nashville.

After speaking with Ponder, the driver, identified as Joseph Johnson-Shanks, led the trooper on an 8-mile pursuit before shots were fired.

Ponder was injured when Johnson-Shanks leaned out the window and reportedly started firing shots at his police cruiser, striking the hood, windshield and the trooper before the 25-year-old fled the scene on foot.

Joseph Johnson-Shanks, 25 (Courtesy: Kentucky State Police)

The trooper was transported to Caldwell Medical Center in Princeton, Kentucky, where he died just after 11:30 p.m. Sunday.
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