A hunt for a fugitive suspected of injuring one police officer and shooting at another has forced the closure of a rural Kentucky school district for two days, authorities said on Tuesday.
Advertisement
Authorities say Cook is armed and risky and if anyone sees him they should not approach him.
Superintendent Kirk Biggerstaff said the search spanned rural bus routes in the approximately 1,000-student district. We will continue to monitor the progress of this situation and – as always – vow to keep our students as safe as possible.
Cook is accused of wounding the Tennessee officer during a traffic stop Saturday in Putnam County. When he asked Cook to show his hands, the suspect shot him.
Both Sheriff Farris and DA Dunaway commended Officer Valencia’s actions on Saturday, saying the combination of his training and wearing a protective vest saved his life. The Tennessee law enforcement officer had been a member of the Tennessee police force for nearly two years.
The 62-year-old Cook, facing an attempted-murder charge in Tennessee, might have access to a beige 2006 Ford Ranger with a Kentucky license plate, Gregory said.
Later Saturday, Kentucky troopers tried to stop Cook near Burkesville, Ky., Gregory said.
Cook later ran away from the scene.
KSP set up a perimeter and tried to track him but suspended the search early Sunday morning because of the weather and darkness.
Police could not confirm Cook was the shooter, or if the man was injured in the shootout.
Cook is described as a white man with brown hair and blue eyes, standing six feet tall and weighing about 160 pounds. During the 1970s and 1980s, he was convicted of a series of crimes in Kentucky, including charges on rape, assault, rioting, robbery, and burglary. He was required to register as a sex offender and remain on parole for the rest of his life.
Advertisement
Deputies there took out a warrant for his arrest and started searching for him.
