PUTNAM COUNTY, Tenn. (WKRN) — Interstate 40 East in Putnam County was closed Friday night due to a trooper-involved shooting near mile marker 285 outside Cookeville.
Just after 9 p.m., on Friday, July 19, the Tennessee Highway Patrol (THP) posted to X that they were “actively searching for two black males with facial tattoos driving a white Kia Forte.”
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Then, minutes later, THP posted a picture of the vehicle wanted in connection with the shooting. Officials described the suspect vehicle as a white Kia Forte with a possible Tennessee temporary tag that reads Q9SC4JR.
Just after midnight, THP announced that the suspect vehicle was recovered in the Sumner County. However, the search for the driver and passenger remained ongoing.
Two people in custody after deputy pursuit in Clarksville
Authorities then uploaded a photo of the passenger involved in the incident, identifying him as 29-year-old Braze Rucker.
“If you have any information that will aid us in locating this person along with the other individual involved please dial 911 immediately,” the update read.
A Blue Alert was issued for Rucker and he has since been added to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation’s “Most Wanted” list. Officials said he faces a felony charge in connection to the shooting and should be considered armed and dangerous.
There is a $2,500 reward for any information that could lead to Rucker’s arrest, said the TBI. Anyone who spots him should call 1-800-TBI-FIND or 423-954-2130.
A Tennessee Highway Patrol (THP) commissioner told News 2 that early details indicate that the shooting happened at a traffic stop. The trooper was first treated at Cookeville Regional Medical Center and was then flown to a Nashville hospital. According to THP, the trooper is in stable condition.
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District Attorney Bryant Dunaway confirmed that the trooper shot worked in the Cookeville district. Authorities reported the injury did not not appear to be life-threatening. THP is reviewing footage to get further details.
News 2 has reached out to THP for more information.
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This is a developing story. WKRN News 2 will continue to update this article as new information becomes available.
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