Governor Beshear Orders Flags Half-Staff for Slain Trooper

Governor Andy Beshear ordered flags at all Kentucky state buildings to be flown at half-staff from sunrise to sunset on Sunday, October 4, to honor Kentucky State Police Trooper Hayden Phillips. Phillips, 28, was fatally shot on September 28 during a traffic stop on Interstate 65 near Smiths Grove in Warren County.

Authorities have charged Emonnie Branch, a 51-year-old resident of Portland, Tennessee, with the murder of a first responder/peace officer in connection with the shooting. Phillips was a graduate of the Kentucky State Police Academy Class 103 and served at Post 3 in Bowling Green. He previously worked with the Glasgow Police Department and served as a seasonal firefighter.

Funeral services for Phillips are scheduled for noon on October 4 at the E.A. Diddle Arena on the Western Kentucky University campus in Bowling Green, with interment to follow at Glasgow Municipal Cemetery. Beshear described Phillips as a hero and asked Kentuckians to pray for the trooper's wife, Jordan, and their three children. The Kentucky State Police Foundation is accepting donations to support the Phillips family.