Police Impersonator Killed By Authorities After Murdering Off-Duty Officer
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NEW YORK (CBSMiami) – The manhunt is over for a suspect wanted in connection with the murder of an off-duty police officer.
Investigators collected evidence from the scene hours after 38-year-old police officer Phillip Meacham was murdered during a traffic stop in Hopkinsville, Kentucky.
Police say the suspect, James Decoursey, was impersonating a police officer when he fatally shot the off-duty police officer after pulling him over.
We ask that you keep the Hopkinsville Police Department and the family in your prayers," said trooper Rob Austin.
Decoursey stole a white pickup truck and left the area, but hours later law enforcement received a tip and tracked him down near a restaurant in Tennessee.
"They just kept on shooting him," said Clarksville resident Jonathan Harper. "They probably shot him, I don't know how many time they shot him exactly, but I probably heard at least ten or 12, 15 shots."
Officer Meacham had been with the Hopkinsville police force for less than a year.
The visibly shaken police chief asked his officers to stay strong.
"We're here, we'll get through it," said Hopkinsville Police Chief Clayton Sumner. "That's what we do."
A motive remains a mystery but the chief believes it's possible the two men knew each other.
"Considering they are both from here, it's very likely," Sumner said. "It's not that big of a city."
The officer leaves behind a wife and two young children.
Officials recovered a weapon at the scene where the suspect was killed.