Joseph Thomas Johnson-Shanks

Police: Kentucky trooper shooting suspect is shot and killed

Trooper Joseph Cameron Ponder, who was 31 and had been on the force less than a year, was conducting a traffic stop Sunday night on Interstate 24 when the driver fled, Kentucky State Police said.

A chase ensued with the suspect stopping abruptly, causing the trooper's vehicle to "make contact" with the rear of the suspect's vehicle, said Trooper Jay Thomas, a state police spokesman.