WARREN COUNTY, Ky. — A Tennessee man was arrested in connection to the shooting death of a Kentucky State Police Trooper, officials announced Monday.
Trooper Hayden Phillips was fatally shot while performing a traffic stop on Interstate 65 in Warren County, the Louisville Courier Journal reported. Phillips had pulled over a motorist at about 2 p.m. CT on Monday when the gunman opened fire. The motorist fled, prompting an “exhaustive search” by multiple law enforcement agencies, according to the newspaper.
According to state police, Emonnie Branch, 51, of Portland, Tennessee, was arrested approximately four hours after the shooting, WKYT reported.
Branch is facing a murder of a first responder peace officer charge, according to the television station. He will be transported to Warren County.
Kentucky State Police Commissioner Col. Phillip Burnett Jr. said during a news conference that Branch was arrested by Louisville Metro Police officers, according to the television station.
In a social media post, the state police said that Phillips “made the ultimate sacrifice” while patrolling the interstate.
“Our hearts break for Trooper Phillips’ family, loved ones, and fellow troopers as we grieve this tremendous loss,” Burnett Jr. said in the post. “We will carry his memory with us, honor the life he lived and the badge he wore, and stand together as an agency to support this family in the days ahead.”
— KY State Police (@kystatepolice) September 28, 2026
It was unclear what led to the shooting.
Phillips was assigned to Kentucky State Police Post 3 in Bowling Green and was a graduate of Cadet Class 103, WSMV reported.
In a social media post, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear asked citizens to pray for Phillips’s family.
“Hayden was a hero who dedicated himself to protecting our commonwealth,” Beshear wrote. “Even more, he was a devoted husband and loving father to three children. Let us wrap our arms around this family during this unimaginable time.”
Kyle Bumgarner, the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Kentucky, said Branch will face state murder charges.
“One of the men who wakes up every day, kisses a wife, and three little boys goodbye after strapping on his gun belt and putting on his badge is no longer with us,” Bumgarner said, according to WKYT. The day started as so many days do in law enforcement.
“He was senselessly murdered.”
In a Facebook post, officials from the Edmonson County Sheriff’s Department asked residents to “pray for our brothers and sisters in the Kentucky State Police.”
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