Police say the state trooper fatally shot by a suspect during a traffic stop is the second from the Mayfield post in western Kentucky to be killed in the line of duty this year. Authorities say 31-year-old trooper Joseph Cameron Ponder conducted a traffic stop Sunday night when the driver fled. After a chase, the suspect stopped his car abruptly and fired several shots into Ponder's cruiser. He died later at a hospital.
Police fatally shot and killed the suspect Monday morning after a massive manhunt in a wooded area close to Interstate 24.
Ponder's death comes just three months after 23-year-old Erick K. Chrisman died in a traffic crash while responding to a reckless driving complaint.
Both troopers had graduated from the police academy in January. Trooper Jay Thomas says, "We're all just holding together the best that we can and just continue to do our jobs."