A Kentucky State Police trooper with strong ties to Adair County was killed in the line of duty Monday, bringing tragedy to a family with longtime connections to the community and leaving those who knew him grieving the loss of a life dedicated to protecting others.
Phillips’ birthday was Sept. 30. Instead of celebrating, his family, including his wife and three young sons, prepared for a funeral.
His father, Larry “Homer” Phillips, was raised in Adair County and graduated from Adair County High School.
Hayden Phillips has several aunts, uncles, cousins and countless friends in the county.
He was a graduate of Russell County High School, worked for Russell Springs Police Department and Glasgow Police Department before joining KSP. He had been a trooper with KSP for three years.
According to Trooper Jonathan Houk, public information officer for Post 15, Phillips was on a list requesting to transfer to Post 15 in Columbia.
“He loved working at Post 3, but he wanted to come home to Post 15. He was very well known at Post 15 and in the Adair and Russell County communities,” said Houk.
A candlelight vigil will be held at Post 15 , located at 1118 Jamestown St., Columbia, at 6:30 p.m. tonight. Funeral visitation will be held at Living Hope Baptist Church, 1805 Western St., Bowling Green, on Saturday from 10 a.m. through 6 p.m. A funeral service will be held at noon Sunday at E.A. Diddle Arena on the Western Kentucky University campus in Bowling Green.
Phillips’ wife, Jordan, shared a heartfelt post on social media the day after her husband’s death.
“I ask you to help my boys and I remember and honor him, not just tomorrow, but every day to come. My boys deserve to hear every funny memory, every story, to know the hero their daddy is, to know the man their mommy loved so deeply,” she said.
Jordan also said that her husband’s death was posted on social media before she was notified. Someone saw it and called her.
“This is a headline, but more than that, this is my husband and the one my boys’ world revolves around,” she wrote.
She thanked everyone for the support that her family has received during this difficult time.
During a press conference Monday evening, KSP Commissioner Phillip Burnett, Jr. said Phillips’ dedication to duty and commitment to the Commonwealth will never be forgotten.
“Our hearts break for Trooper Phillips’ family, loved ones and fellow troopers as we grieve this tremendous loss,” he said. “We will stand together as an agency to support the family in the days ahead.”
Phillips was fatally shot during a traffic stop on I65 northbound near the Smith’s Grove exit.
An unidentified man stopped to check on Phillips and used the police radio to communicate with dispatchers that a trooper had been shot.
An alert was immediately issued for the vehicle the suspect was driving and a statewide manhunt ensued.
After a three-hour manhunt, the suspect, Emonnie Branch, 51, of Portland, Tenn. was captured on Dixie Highway in Louisville.
Burnett only mentioned Branch by name once during the press conference.
“...and the reason why is because of his cowardly actions that he did today to Trooper Phillips,” said Burnett. “The suspect has now been charged with murder of a first responder, peace officer.”
Trooper Katan Parker, public affairs officer for Post 3, also spoke about the impact of the loss of Phillips.
“He was our brother. Hayden was our brother…I believe I can speak for everyone at Post 3 when I say that Hayden was special. He was and we’re gonna miss him, we sure are,” said Parker.
The outpouring of support for the Phillips’ family has been tremendous. A long procession of emergency service personnel escorted Phillips’ body Tuesday morning from the medical examiner’s office in Louisville to a funeral home in Glasgow. There streets were lined with local people as well as others who traveled to pay their respects.
That same morning, Branch was arraigned in Warren County District Court for murder of a first responder, peace officer, which is a capital offense.
During the arraignment, the prosecutor said that Branch had an extensive criminal history including fraud, domestic assault on a juvenile, drug trafficking and robbery. Judge Kimberly Geoghegan denied bail and set a preliminary hearing for Friday at 8:45 a.m.
By Amy Pike
amy@adairvoice.com
