First responders say a routine patrol in Paintsville led to an officer-involved shooting early Saturday, leaving one man hospitalized.
According to Darrell Preston, Director of Public Safety for the City of Paintsville, a Paintsville Police Department officer was conducting safety checks along Main Street early Saturday morning when he spotted a motorcycle with suspicious modifications that matched a previous report.
“Earlier that day, we had received a complaint of a stolen motorcycle. He happened to locate one on Main Street that appeared to be freshly painted, the ignition was tore out of it, there was wires hanging. And as he was investigating that, a male subject started walking toward him with his hands in his jacket,” Preston told WYMT.
Preston said the officer instructed the man—later identified as Shawn Gayheart, 37, of Salyersville—to show his hands, but he refused, and the encounter escalated into a physical struggle.
“He did have a firearm under his jacket. The officer was able to make contact with him,” said Preston, adding that authorities later recovered both a gun and a knife at the scene.
The officer reportedly deployed a taser, but the man got back up and ran, prompting a foot chase toward Euclid Avenue.
“He contacted 911 to inform them he was in foot pursuit. Another officer arrived. They deployed another taser to try to detain him,” said Preston. “The subject attempted to get to his gun, he assaulted both of the officers, they pepper sprayed him, and as he threw them off of him they had no other choice but to pull their certified service weapons and shoot the subject.”
He said officers exhausted multiple options before resorting to firearms, but “to save their own life, they used deadly force.”
“After they did deploy their weapons, they immediately provided medical attention until EMS arrived,” he said. “The subject was transported to Paul B Hall, where he was later transported to Pikeville Medical Center where he is listed in stable condition and is being guarded by the Kentucky State Police.”
Preston said the department followed protocol by notifying Kentucky State Police Post 9, and KSP is now investigating the officers’ use of deadly force.
“This subject has a long criminal history. He has various convictions of assault on police officers. You know, I commend my officers for trying to control the situation without it escalating any further. Because the last thing we want to do is use that level of force,” Preston said.
Police are continuing their investigation and have secured warrants for Gayheart’s arrest.
He faces charges of possession of a handgun by a convicted felon, two counts of assault on a police officer, resisting arrest, fleeing and evading, and being a persistent felony offender.
The officers involved have been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of the KSP investigation.
Leave a Reply