Search continues for suspect in fatal shooting of Tennessee deputy; 2 related arrests made

Maryville, Tenn. (AP) – Law enforcement in eastern tennessee The search continued on Saturday for the person who is charge of fatal shooting Injuring a sheriff’s deputy and another during a traffic stop.

Blount County Sheriff James Lee Berong said a reward of more than $80,000 has been offered for information leading to the arrest of 42-year-old Kenneth DeHart.

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said it has issued a warrant charging DeHart with first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder and being a felon in possession of a firearm in the Thursday evening shooting. The sheriff’s office said Friday that Deputy Greg McCowan, 43, died from the shooting, while Deputy Shelby Eggers, 22, was treated at a hospital and released.

A Sheriff’s Office spokesman said the search continued Saturday. Law enforcement officials were expected to conduct a “nontactical ground search” Saturday afternoon in the area northeast of Maryville, where DeHart’s vehicle was found abandoned. WBIR-TV in Knoxville reported,

“We are committed to locating him,” Berong said Friday. “We are going to catch him and bring him to justice in Blount County.”

Deputies initiated a traffic stop on a sport utility vehicle, the bureau said in a Friday news release. Blount County District Attorney General Ryan Desmond said the car was stopped on suspicion of erratic driving.

The driver, identified by authorities as DeHart, refused to exit the SUV and the deployed stun gun had no effect, the bureau said. The driver pulled out a gun and opened fire, hitting both deputies, then at least one deputy returned fire and DeHart left the scene, the bureau news release said. McCowan later died at a hospital, according to authorities.

Desmond said Friday that DeHart’s brother has been arrested and charged with being an accessory after the fact in helping the suspect commit the murder. The brother was jailed and Desmond said he faces a court appearance on Monday. A woman identified by media outlets as the shooting suspect’s girlfriend was also arrested Thursday night on an accessory after the fact in adjacent Sevier County, where records show she was also jailed Saturday.

A procession of law enforcement vehicles joined the hearse carrying McCowan’s body Friday as it passed through Maryville, about 17 miles (27 kilometers) south of Knoxville.

Berong said Friday that McCowan began his career as a deputy in 2020 after graduating from a regional law enforcement training class.

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