NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Metro Nashville Police Department officials said a man accused of shooting a Hendersonville Police Department officer has died.
Samuel Edwards, 34, was wanted for nearly a day on charges of attempted criminal homicide and evading arrest. The manhunt began in Madison on Monday night and carried north to Louisville Tuesday night. Kentucky State Police said Edwards died in a shootout with law enforcement.
Metro police said this all began at about 8 p.m. Monday when Officer Cole Ferrell ran the plates of a black van that was driving on Vietnam Veterans Parkway. Investigators said Ferrell attempted to stop the van when the tags did not match the vehicle, but the driver — Edwards — did not pull over.
"The pursuit traveled from Vietnam Veterans Parkway, down the interstate and off here at Old Hickory Boulevard in Davidson County. According to the Hendersonville officer, the suspect was firing shots almost immediately after the pursuit began, back at his police vehicle," said Don Aaron, spokesperson for the Metro Nashville Police Department.
Photos released by MNPD show a bullet hole in the driver's side of the patrol vehicle's windshield. Officer Ferrell was treated for non-critical injuries at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and is now recovering at home.
Investigators said Edwards abandoned his black van on Gibson Drive and took off. He was seen on Ring surveillance video with two guns.
Shortly after Edwards' escape, police said a white Chevy Silverado was stolen from the driveway of a home. Investigators said the keys to the truck were left in the vehicle. The truck was found hours later in Millersville.
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation later issued a Blue Alert for Edwards.
On Tuesday morning, the manhunt for Edwards carried near Interstate 65 in Robertson County. Traffic was near a standstill from 11 a.m. near mile marker 104. By 4 p.m. I-65 was fully reopened.
Dogs tracked his scent and followed his trail from 31W to I-65 for about two miles into a wooded area between the north and southbound lanes south of Bethel Road. After the scent went cold, the Millersville Police Department determined that their active search was over.
Just before 8 p.m. Tuesday, Metro police announced Edwards was killed in a gunfire exchange with Kentucky State Police. Agents with the Tennessee Highway Patrol, FBI and TBI assisted in the multi-state search for Edwards.
