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Revealed: What Slain Kentucky Trooper Was Doing Just Before Death Makes It More Tragic
Kentucky State Trooper Joseph Ponder wanted to do something good for the speeding car full of travelers he pulled over late Sunday night in rural western Kentucky.
Instead, driver Joseph Thomas Johnson-Shanks of Florissant, Missouri, first fled and later gunned down Ponder. Johnson-Shanks was later killed by police Monday after refusing to surrender.
“He (Ponder) was trying to help them out, and for an unknown reason, the driver fled,” said Trooper Jay Thomas, a state police spokesman. “At the initial stop, it was his intent to put them all in a hotel without having to apprehend the driver.”
Ponder pulled over a car going 103 mph along Interstate 24, Thomas said. Johnson-Shanks, who was driving with a suspended license, had four passengers: two adult women and two young children. Johnson-Shanks’ niece, Ambrea R.J. Shanks, 18, of Florissant, MO, was charged with first-degree hindering prosecution or apprehension and taken to jail Monday, police said.
After a chase that reached 115 mph, Johnson-Shanks stopped the car he was driving, causing a collision with Ponder’s vehicle. Johnson-Shanks then leaned out the driver’s window and gunned down Ponder, police said.
“It’s tragic on both sides,” Thomas said. “Not only on our side, but also on the suspect’s side. It’s a tragic day for two families: the state police family and Mr. Johnson-Shanks’ family as well.”
Ponder “served his country with pride and honor and he continued to give by working as a state trooper. He wanted to help people,” said James Webb, who was Ponder’s high school track coach and a friend. “I’m devastated. Words are hard to come by right now. He was just a wonderful person and I keep thinking (about) the last moments of his life.”
Webb had the news on Monday morning while he was working out.
“A trooper shot in Lyon County. I knew he was out that way, so I’m on the treadmill and I just texted him, ‘hey, you alright down there?’”
Webb never heard back.
Webb said Ponder chose the Navy over a track scholarship to Western Kentucky University. After a stint as a diver and work with SEAL teams, Ponder joined the Kentucky State Police.
“Real low key, real quiet. Good country boy, great family,” Webb said.
“I’m angry in a sense that he was just a good person and he is gone way too soon,” Webb said.
Late Monday afternoon, an informal vigil grew outside of Ponder’s police post.
“These guys go out every day and lay their life on the line,” said Ronnie Stinson, who participated in the vigil. “And people need to respect them for that.”
h/t: Fox News
Source: http://www.westernjournalism.com/revealed-what-slain-kentucky-trooper-was-doing-just-before-death-makes-it-more-tragic/
