Blount County Sheriff's deputy shot and killed, TBI Blue Alert issued for suspect
A statewide Blue Alert has been issued for a 42-year-old man suspected of shooting two Blount County sheriff's deputies Thursday night, killing one.
Kenneth Wayne DeHart, of Alcoa, is wanted by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and the Blount County Sheriff's Office on charges of one count of first degree murder, one count of attempted first degree murder and one count of felon in possession of a weapon.
Just before 8:30 p.m. Feb. 8, Deputy Greg McCowan and Deputy Shelby Eggers initiated a traffic stop on an SUV in the 4900 block of Sevierville Road in Maryville, a release from TBI said. The driver, identified as DeHart, would not cooperate and refused to get out of the vehicle. A Taser was deployed with no effect, the release said.
At some point during the encounter, DeHart produced a gun and fired shots, striking both deputies. McCowan was fatally wounded; Eggers was shot in the leg and returned fire, Blount County Sheriff James Lee Berrong said in an early-morning press conference Feb. 9.
Posted by Blount County Sheriff's Office on Thursday, February 8, 2024
McCowan was transported to an area hospital, where he later died. Eggers was also taken to the hospital, treated and released.
Blount County Sheriff's Deputy Greg McCowan, who was shot and killed earlier this evening during a traffic stop, was escorted from Blount Memorial Hospital to the University of Tennessee Forensics Center in Knoxville early this morning by his fellow brothers and sisters in blue. We stand with Deputy McCowan’s family, friends and colleagues during this absolutely tragic time.
Posted by Knoxville Police Department - TN on Friday, February 9, 2024
DeHart drove away from the scene, the release said.
Multiple law enforcement agencies are actively searching for DeHart, who was last seen in the 4900 block of Sevierville Road in Maryville.
Anyone with information concerning his whereabouts is asked to call the Blount County Sheriff's Office at 865-981-7125 or the TBI at 1-800-TBI-FIND. A $10,000 reward is being offered for information.
Liz Kellar is a Tennessee Connect reporter. Email liz.kellar@knoxnews.com. Support strong local journalism by subscribing at knoxnews.com/subscribe.
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Blount County deputy killed, TBI Blue Alert issued for suspect in shooting
