Crime

Felon charged with fatally shooting Kentucky police officer

/ AP

PIKEVILLE, Ky. — Police have charged a man in the fatal shooting of a Kentucky police officer.

Kentucky State Police spokesman Jody Sims says 55-year-old John Russell Hall of Pikeville was charged Thursday with murder of a police officer and possession of a handgun by a convicted felon after being taken into custody that morning.

Hall is charged with killing Pikeville Police Officer Scotty Hamilton. The officer was gunned down Tuesday night while patrolling the Hurricane Creek area with a state trooper.

Police said they came upon a suspicious vehicle, spoke with occupants, and then began canvassing the area for other possible suspects when gunfire erupted. The trooper later found the officer with a fatal gunshot wound.

News outlets report Hamilton had been with the police department for 12 years and is survived by a wife and daughter.

First published on March 16, 2018 / 10:34 AM EDT

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