A manhunt is on for a suspect after a Hopkinsville, Kentucky police officer was fatally shot by a man impersonating a law enforcement officer Thursday evening.
Officer Phillip Meacham was off-duty driving his personal vehicle when officials say a man pretending to be a police officer pulled over his car around 5:10 p.m., according to The Leaf Chronicle.
Sometime during the interaction, the suspect, identified as 35-year-old James Kennith Decoursey, shot Meacham.
The 38-year-old officer who worked for the Hopkinsville Police Department since May 2017 was transported to Jennie Stuart Medical Center in Hopkinsville where he was pronounced dead.
Officials said that Decoursey fled on foot after the shooting before stealing a 1997 white Chevrolet pickup truck with license plate number 2070GH. He is described as a white male, 6 feet, 1 inch tall with brown eyes and black hair.
Authorities say Decoursey should be considered armed and dangerous and anyone who spots his vehicle is advised not to approach him and to call 911.
Hopkinsville Police Chief Clayton Sumner said he wasn't sure if the men two men knew each other personally, but that since both are from the small town it's likely.
"Officers are never off duty," Sumner told reporters after the shooting. "This is new to me. I don't know how to do this. I don't know what I'm supposed to say. I just ask for everybody's support."
Kentucky State Police has taken over the investigation of the fatal shooting.
Meacham, who worked for more than a decade at the Christian County Sheriff's Office before joining the Hopkinsville police force leaves behind a wife and two children.
