Kentucky officer killed, police searching for man who fled

Kentucky State Police say a city police officer has been fatally shot, and authorities are searching for a man who fled the scene.

State police said in a news release the off-duty Hopkinsville officer was shot at about 5:10 p.m. CDT Thursday and was taken to a hospital, where he died. The officer’s name wasn’t released, pending notification of family.

Police were looking for a man who they said fled on foot then took off in a 1997 white Chevrolet pickup truck with license plate 2070GH.

Gov. Matt Bevin announced the officer’s death on Twitter.

In Frankfort, lawmakers in the House stood for a moment of silence after Rep. Walker Wood Thomas of Hopkinsville announced that an officer had been shot.

Hopkinsville is about 73 miles northwest of Nashville, Tennessee.