Authorities in eastern Tennessee were searching early Friday for a suspect they say was involved in a shooting that killed one sheriff’s deputy and left another wounded.
Warrants have been issued for 42-year-old Kenneth Dehart, who is wanted on suspicion of first degree murder, attempted first degree murder and being a felon in possession of a firearm after the Thursday evening shooting, Blount County Sheriff James Lee Berrong said in posts on the department’s Facebook page.
Deputy Greg McCowan was killed in the shooting during a traffic stop. A female officer was shot in the leg and returned fire. She was being treated at a hospital, Berrong said.
“This is the hardest thing I’ve ever done. We had an officer killed tonight,” Berrong said during a news conference in which he was visibly upset. “I’m so sorry that we’ve lost a young man. I talked to his family earlier. I apologized for not protecting him.”
A $10,000 reward has been offered, Berrong said.
“We’re going to get this man off the streets of east Tennessee and put him behind bars,” he said.