An officer-involved shooting killed a Blount County deputy on Thursday evening. The investigation into the matter is far from over. In the 4900 block of Sevierville Road, Deputy Greg McCowan was fatally shot while conducting a traffic stop.
After being shot in the leg, Deputy Shelby Eggers retaliated by firing his weapon. After receiving treatment at a local hospital, she was discharged.
The 42-year-old Kenneth Dehart has been named as the suspect. He faces first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, and felon in possession of a pistol charges, according to warrants.
He is thought to be walking alone. The Wildwood region was his last known whereabouts. To anyone who spots him, please dial 911 immediately. He is now on the TBI’s most-wanted list and has been the subject of a statewide Blue Alert.
If you live in the Wildwood area and have an outdoor security system or a doorbell camera video system, Sheriff James Lee Berrong is requesting that you check for any unusual behavior that may have happened overnight.
Call 865-981-7125 to leave a tip as well. According to Berrong, the reward for information that led to Dehart’s arrest has increased to almost $60,000.
In addition to the existing $10,000 prize and the up to $2,500 reward being provided by TBI, the following organizations are also providing rewards: the U.S. Marshals Service, CEO Mark Smith of Smith & Wesson, $40,000, and East Tennessee Valley Crime Stoppers, $2,000.
Helping out local authorities are agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigations and the Tennessee Bureau of Investigations. An SUV was stopped by deputies in the 4900 block of Sevierville Road near Maryville, according to preliminary information from the TBI.
However according to TBI, the driver, who was identified as DeHart, refused to exit the vehicle and refused to comply with deputies. Further use of a taser by the deputies was futile. As reported by TBI, DeHart allegedly brandished a firearm, striking both deputies before he sped off in his vehicle.
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