A man is dead following an officer-involved shooting near the Johnson County-Martin County line.

Kentucky State Police Post 9 spokesperson Trooper William Petry tells Mountain Top News that a man sought by police in Ohio was killed early Thursday morning following an officer-involved shooting that took place following a police pursuit of the suspect’s vehicle. The name of the suspect has not yet been released.

Petry says at approximately 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, the Richland County Sheriff’s Office in Ohio contacted authorities in Kentucky with an attempt-to-locate request for a van which the suspect was believed to have been driving in Johnson County in the Wittensville area. The man was wanted in Ohio on criminal warrants including assault, Petry says, and may have been wanted on warrants out of Florida.

Just after midnight Thursday, Petry says, officers located the van and began following it after the driver ignored commands to stop the vehicle. Petry said the pursuit was low-speed and turned onto Ky. Route 40 and then onto Ky. 3039 before finally turning onto a dirt road leading to a rural farm on the Johnson-Martin line.

Petry says the suspect was on the phone with a sheriff’s office dispatcher and advised he was armed with a loaded firearm, which troopers and deputies were able to visually verify. Petry says while officers attempted to negotiate with the man, shots were fired.

“They were negotiating and at some point, something happened … unknown to me at this time, but shots were fired, and because of that, he is deceased,” Petry said. “I know there was shots fired, and I don’t know who or how many or whatever.”

The man, whose identity has not yet been released, was pronounced dead at the scene of the shooting by the Martin County Coroner’s Office, Petry says.

Petry says there were no other injuries in the incident, and the investigation into the shooting is ongoing. Petry says a further press statement on the incident will be released soon.

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