Cop Killed in Ambush: Colleagues Seek Answers for Deliberate Murder
A police officer was shot and killed in an apparent ambush in Kentucky, reports state, and the man's colleagues are seeking answers. Jason Ellis, 33, was killed when he stopped to pick up debris along the road that officers believe was deliberately placed to draw someone out of his or her vehicle.
A passing motorist found Ellis' body and called the police using the officer's own radio. Ellis had been shot multiple times, leading police to believe that it was a deliberate attack. Police are not releasing any more details, such as what type of debris was used to distract the driver; they say it is vital to the investigation.
"It wasn't a traffic stop that went bad. It wasn't an arrest that went bad," Bardstown Chief of Police Rick McCubbin told ABC News. "That someone actually took the time to plan it and set it up makes it that much more, obviously hurtful, but it makes you mad."
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"I've been a trooper for 19 years, and I've never seen anything like this, the level of planning," Trooper Norman Chaffins said. "We have no suspects at this time, but we don't believe kids were responsible because of how calculated the crime was. The location was obviously not picked randomly."
"Officer Ellis didn't even have time to remove his gun," Chaffins added.
Ellis is the first officer killed in the line of duty in the town of Bardstown, which makes the loss even harder. He leaves behind a wife and two sons. Police are asking for anyone with information to send them an email, a text, or visit the Kentucky State Police website.
"The smallest detail that may not seem important to a lay person may be the one detail we need to bring someone to justice," officers said in an official statement.
"I can assure you we won't give up on this person until we have him either in custody or in the front side of one of our weapons, and I personally hope the latter is the choice," McCubbin said.
