Mayfield, Ky.–A man who was fatally shot by law enforcement in Graves County, Kentucky was wanted in Benton County, Tennessee on a variety of charges, including rape of a child, incest and domestic assault. The suspect earlier on Thursday August 15, was present at his jury trial in Benton County, stemming from the those charges, but as jury deliberations began, the suspect left the court and fled from the courthouse.
Graves County law enforcement was notified that the suspect could be in the Mayfield area and had communicated his intentions of killing himself. He also was wanted on a nationwide extraditable arrest warrant.
The Kentucky State Police announced Friday the incident was under investigation and Graves County Sheriff Jon Hayden released the following press release providing more details of the incident:
“In an effort to be as transparent as possible, I am releasing the following information concerning events that occurred last night at approximately 10pm which involved sheriff’s deputies from this agency.
“Last evening, sheriff’s deputies received information from the Benton County Tennessee Sheriff’s Office concerning an individual that was wanted on a nationwide extraditable arrest warrant for charges related to felony failure to appear, on underlying charges related to the rape of a child, incest, and domestic assault. We were further advised that the suspect had communicated that he had intentions of killing himself.
“Our agency was requested to attempt to locate the suspect after they had received information that he was in the Mayfield Kentucky area, in the vicinity of Jim town Road and Ky Hwy 121. A vehicle description had been provided.
“At approximately 10PM, a graves county sheriff’s deputy located the vehicle in question at the Wingfield Inn located at 1101 West Housman Street, near the Graves County High School campus.
“Shortly after locating the vehicle, the suspect came out of a motel room near his vehicle. The deputy approached him and was able to identify the man as the wanted person. While attempting to take the suspect into custody, a struggle ensued, and the suspect was able to get back through the door into the motel room. A brief standoff ensued as other deputies and officers from the Mayfield Police Department arrived.
“The suspect later opened the door and exited the room brandishing a handgun, pointing it at deputies and officers. Numerous commands were given, that were ignored. At some point, law enforcement fired, and the suspect was hit and died at the scene. Body camera footage of the incident was secured.
I requested KSP Critical Incident Response Team investigate the incident in conjunction with the Mayfield Police Department’s request.
“The sheriff’s office internal investigation also determined that the suspect earlier on Thursday August 15, 2024, was present at his jury trial in Tennessee, stemming from the charges listed above, but as jury deliberations began, the suspect left the court and fled. During this time is when he sent communications concerning suicide. The suspect was reportedly out on bond and not in custody during his trial.
“The name of the deceased has not been released by the Graves County Coroner at this time.
“Two sheriff’s deputies involved have been placed on paid administrative leave, as standard procedure dictates.
“The information that I have released again is part of the sheriff’s office internal investigation, and no additional details will be released at this time by this office, until the KSP Critical Response Teams investigation is complete, or the situation dictates otherwise.
Please pray for the suspects’ family, and for all of the officers involved in this incident.”