BOWLING GREEN, Ky. — Emmonie Branch, 51, of Portland, Tennessee, was under active probation supervision when he was arrested Monday in connection with the fatal shooting of Kentucky State Police Trooper Hayden Phillips.

Branch was arrested in the Louisville area after Phillips was shot during a traffic stop on Interstate 65 near Smiths Grove. He is charged in Warren County with murder of a first responder (peace officer).

But Branch’s current probation case is not his first documented involvement with the Tennessee criminal justice system.

Branch was on probation when he was arrested

Records from the Tennessee Department of Correction show Branch was serving a five-year probation sentence when he was arrested Monday.

Branch was sentenced to five years of probation on July 8, 2025, in a Sumner County case involving an offense listed by TDOC as “FRAUD-IMPERSONATE.”

The offense date is listed as Sept. 4, 2020.

His records show a drug-related probation violation was added April 14, 2026. He was scheduled to appear before Judge Dee David Gay on Nov. 13 for a violation hearing. The hearing had already been rescheduled twice.

The Sumner County Sheriff’s Office also lists an active warrant for Branch for a probation violation. The warrant was issued Aug. 21.

Branch’s assigned probation and parole office is in Gallatin.

The TDOC database lists him as Emmonie Branch and also lists the alias Emmonnie Dion Branch Sr. His birth date is March 4, 1975.

Court records reveal lengthy history

Court records in Tennessee show Branch has been involved in several criminal cases in counties including Sumner and Montgomery.

Most recently, in July 2025, Branch pleaded guilty to attempted domestic assault and violating a no-contact order. He also faced charges of possessing drug paraphernalia and coercing a witness, but those charges were dismissed.

He has pleaded guilty in the last 20 years to possessing a gun as a convicted felon and violating probation. He was jailed in 2012 on rape, kidnapping and aggravated-assault charges. The final disposition of those charges was not established in the records reviewed.

Branch also has a history of mostly traffic-related cases in Kentucky.

Court records show he pleaded guilty to multiple traffic violations over the years.

In one Christian County case, he was charged with allegedly driving 120 mph in a 70 mph zone. In 2005, he pleaded guilty in Hopkins County to driving on a suspended or revoked license.

Branch also pleaded guilty in 2005 to fourth-degree assault, classified as domestic violence, and driving with a suspended or revoked license. He was charged with carrying a concealed deadly weapon and being a felon in possession of a firearm, but those charges were dismissed.

What happened Monday

Phillips, 30, was shot around 2 p.m. Monday during a traffic stop on I-65 in Warren County near Smiths Grove.

The vehicle left the scene after the shooting, prompting a search involving local, state and federal law enforcement agencies.

Branch was later located in Jefferson County and arrested by Louisville Metro Police, according to authorities. The distance between the shooting scene and where Branch was arrested was about 94 miles.

Louisville Metro Police’s tactical team used a Grappler device to stop the vehicle.

The device launches a net-like tether that wraps around a vehicle’s rear wheel or axle, preventing the wheels from turning and bringing the vehicle to a stop.

U.S. Attorney Kyle Bumgarner said Branch would be returned to Warren County to face the state charge.

The charge

Branch is charged with murder of a first responder (peace officer).

Under Kentucky law, murder of a first responder can be a capital offense when the statutory requirements are met. The possible penalties include death or imprisonment for life without parole in circumstances covered by the statute.

The charge is an allegation. Branch has not been convicted in Phillips’ death, and the case remains pending. An arraignment date was not immediately known.

KSP Commissioner Phillip Burnett Jr. said Monday that he would mention Branch’s name only once while discussing the case.

“I want you to know I only mention his name one time, and the reason why is because of his cowardly actions that he did today to Trooper Phillips,” Burnett said.

What remains unknown

KSP officials provided few details about the circumstances surrounding the shooting during Monday night’s news conference.

They did not say what prompted the traffic stop or describe what happened between the initial stop and the shooting.

Officials also did not say whether Branch was alone in the vehicle, why he traveled to the Louisville area or how investigators tracked him there.

KSP did not say whether traffic cameras, cellphone information or other technology were used during the search.

A witness driving past the scene reported the shooting to police, authorities said.

KSP said Branch was expected to be transported back to Warren County, though officials could not confirm the timing Monday night.

The investigation remains ongoing.

Phillips was a Barren County resident and previously worked for the Glasgow Police Department before joining Kentucky State Police in 2023. He was assigned to Post 3 in Bowling Green.

While with the Glasgow Police Department, he was named in a lawsuit filed by the family of Jeremy Marr, who died while in police custody in April 2020.

A federal appeals court dismissed the lawsuit, affirming that the officers involved were entitled to qualified immunity, a legal doctrine that protects government officials from civil liability unless they violate “clearly established” statutory or constitutional rights.

Phillips is survived by his wife, Jordan Phillips; their children, Kasyn, Knox and Conner; and his parents, Robin and Homer Phillips.