Kentucky trooper shooting Blue Alert

Warren County Kentucky trooper shooting September 2026Kentucky trooper shooting Blue AlertI-65 Blue Alert KentuckyTrooper Hayden Phillips killedEmonnie Branch suspectI-65 closed Warren County mile marker 30Kentucky State Police Blue AlertBowling Green trooper shootingBlue Alert meaning law enforcement officer killedKSP Critical Incident Response Team investigationSmiths Grove Kentucky shooting I-65I-65 northbound closure Louisville Nashville traffic
Kentucky State Police ‘State Trooper’ cruiser with blue light bar — KSP issued a statewide Blue Alert after Trooper Hayden Phillips was killed on I-65 in Warren County
File photo: A Kentucky State Police ‘State Trooper’ marked Dodge Charger cruiser. KSP issued a statewide Blue Alert after Trooper Hayden Phillips was killed during a traffic stop on I-65 near mile marker 38 in Warren County on September 28, 2026. (Signal Post News file photo)

Kentucky trooper shooting Blue Alert — Kentucky State Police Trooper Hayden Phillips was killed Monday afternoon during a traffic stop on Interstate 65 northbound near mile marker 38 in Warren County, and the agency issued a statewide Blue Alert for the suspect, identified as Emonnie Branch, who is considered armed and dangerous and was still at large as of publication. The alert — sent out around 3:30 p.m. Eastern and describing a “severe attack on law enforcement” — asks anyone who sees Branch or a bluish gray Honda Civic with Alabama temporary tag TN018596 to call 911 and not approach.

The attack occurred about 2:47 p.m., according to the alert, on I-65 near Smiths Grove in the Bowling Green area. KSP Post 3 in Bowling Green led the response, and Trooper Katan Parker confirmed a multi-agency presence at the scene: Bowling Green police, Warren County sheriff’s deputies — Sheriff Brett Hightower confirmed his office’s involvement — along with Warren County Emergency Management and EMS. It is the kind of loss the agency measures in generations: a trooper killed on patrol on one of the state’s busiest interstates, in daylight, with the suspect fleeing north.

Trooper Hayden Phillips: what we know about the fallen trooper

Phillips was a Glasgow, Kentucky native who graduated from KSP’s Cadet Class 103 and joined the agency in 2023, assigned to Unit 369 at Post 3 in Bowling Green. Before becoming a trooper, he served with the Glasgow Police Department. KSP Commissioner Col. Phillip Burnett Jr. announced that Phillips “made the ultimate sacrifice” while patrolling I-65, adding: “Our hearts break for Trooper Phillips’ family, loved ones, and fellow troopers as we grieve this tremendous loss. 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.”

Gov. Andy Beshear asked Kentuckians to pray for the family, writing that “Hayden was a hero who dedicated himself to protecting our commonwealth” and describing him as “a devoted husband and loving father to three children.” The Edmonson County Sheriff’s Department also posted asking residents to “pray for our brothers and sisters in the Kentucky State Police.” Phillips was a Barren County resident, and the loss has hit the Glasgow–Bowling Green corridor — where he both lived and served — especially hard.

The suspect, the vehicle, and what a Blue Alert actually means

The Blue Alert names the suspect as Emonnie Branch, described as a Black male with dreadlocks. Law enforcement considers Branch armed and dangerous; the public is warned not to approach him and to call 911 with any information. He is believed to be traveling in the bluish gray Honda Civic with Alabama temporary tag TN018596, last seen northbound near mile marker 75 — well north of the shooting scene, suggesting the suspect kept driving up the interstate after the attack. KSP posted a photo of the vehicle on its official X and Facebook accounts.

A Blue Alert is an emergency notification used to enlist the public’s help when a law enforcement officer has been killed, seriously injured, or is missing in the line of duty. It is the law-enforcement counterpart to the better-known AMBER and Silver alerts, and it is issued rarely — only when the criteria are met and public assistance could help catch a suspect or find an officer. Kentucky’s alert went statewide within roughly 45 minutes of the attack, a measure of how seriously the agency treated the threat: an armed suspect fleeing up a major interstate corridor, with no containment yet in place.

Why the I-65 closure matters for regional traffic

I-65 North was closed at mile marker 30, with traffic diverted off at Exit 30, and Bowling Green police advised drivers to seek alternate routes. The closure matters because I-65 is the primary Louisville–Nashville artery, and the Warren County stretch carries heavy commercial and commuter traffic on a Monday afternoon. A full northbound shutdown at mile marker 30 pushes traffic onto U.S. 31W and other two-lane alternates through Bowling Green and Smiths Grove, with ripple effects expected into the evening commute.

The alert posture extended beyond Warren County: the Elizabethtown Police Department posted that there would be an increased law enforcement presence in and around Elizabethtown throughout Hardin County — the next major population center north on I-65, consistent with a suspect last seen heading northbound toward the Louisville metro area. Drivers across south-central Kentucky should expect delays and a visible police presence until the interstate reopens and the suspect is in custody.

What happens next

KSP’s Critical Incident Response Team typically takes the lead investigating trooper-involved shootings, working alongside the county agencies already on scene. The immediate priority is the manhunt: the Blue Alert remains active, the vehicle description is circulating statewide, and troopers are working the I-65 corridor north of the scene. KSP has not yet released the precise sequence of events during the traffic stop — what led to the shooting, or whether shots were exchanged — and those details will likely come from the Critical Incident Response Team’s investigation rather than the initial alert.

Expect the next updates to cover three things: whether Branch is taken into custody and where, when I-65 North reopens, and the investigative findings on how the stop turned deadly. Funeral and memorial arrangements for Trooper Phillips will follow through KSP and the family.

What is confirmed — and what is not

Confirmed: Trooper Hayden Phillips was killed during a traffic stop on I-65 near mile marker 38 in Warren County on September 28, 2026; the Blue Alert names Emonnie Branch as the armed and dangerous suspect; the suspect vehicle is a bluish gray Honda Civic with Alabama temporary tag TN018596, last seen northbound near mile marker 75; I-65 North is closed at mile marker 30; multiple agencies including KSP Post 3, Bowling Green police, and the Warren County Sheriff’s Office responded.

Not yet released by KSP: the exact sequence of events that led to shots being fired, whether anyone else was injured, the suspect’s current whereabouts, or a motive. This is a developing story; details may change as the investigation proceeds.

Sources

This article is based on reporting by WKYT (via WVLT and WDRB), the Lexington Herald-Leader (via Police1), the Louisville Courier Journal, and the Barren County outlet Barrenside, along with official statements from Kentucky State Police and Gov. Andy Beshear posted on September 28, 2026. The suspect was at large as of publication. This is a developing story and details may change as KSP releases more information.

News Desk analysis · Published September 28, 2026Back to the front page