PUTNAM COUNTY, Tenn. — A Tennessee Highway Patrol (THP) trooper was injured after being shot during a traffic stop on I-40.
The shooting happened on Friday, July 19 near Cookeville.
Only one out of two suspects, 29-year-old Braze Rucker, had been initially identified. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) says Rucker is now in custody. The other suspect was later identified as 25-year-old Timothy L. Davis Jr. and he was arrested in Davidson County.
Here's what we know.
The Shooting
Trooper Adam Cothron pulled over a white Kia Forte with two passengers near the Burgess Falls exit in Putnam County for a traffic violation around 7:47 p.m. Rucker was in the passenger seat of the Kia while Davis Jr. was the driver, according to THP.
Details regarding the circumstances surrounding the shooting haven't been released. THP has only said Davis Jr. shot Cothron as he was approaching the Kia.
Both suspects fled the scene and the Kia was found abandoned on Highway 109 near Gallatin around 1 a.m. Saturday, THP said.
Both Suspects in Custody
The TBI says Rucker was found in Princeton, Kentucky the day after the shooting.
Davis Jr. was taken into custody on July 22 in Davidson County and was taken to the Putnam County jail. He was on the run for around three days after the shooting, according to THP.
Davis Jr. was charged with one count of attempted first-degree murder. Rucker is also in law enforcement custody and faces a charge of criminal responsibility for the facilitation of a felony, the TBI said.
Court records show he was charged with attempted first-degree murder.
The reward leading to Rucker's arrest was $10,000. The reward leading to Davis Jr.'s arrest was $20,000.
Cothron's condition
Cothron was flown to Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, according to THP. As of Tuesday, Cothron remains in the hospital.
On July 20, THP said that Cothron was alert and in "good spirits."
Cothron joined THP in 2015. Previously, he was a former deputy sheriff for the Trousdale County Sheriff's Office.
"He is a certified K-9 handler and is an outstanding trooper and comes from a respected law enforcement family, but what he is best known for is being a father and a husband to his wonderful family," THP said. "We ask that you please keep him and his family in your prayers."
Tennessee Secretary of State Tre Hargett asked people to keep the trooper in their prayers.
"Our thoughts are with the Tennessee Highway Patrol and the trooper injured in tonight's shooting near Cookeville. Please keep him and his family in your prayers," he said.
The Putnam County Sheriff's Office announced that an account has been set up to assist Cothron and his family.
Blue Alert
A Public Safety Alert came over people's phones just after midnight on July 20 with a link that appeared to lead to the TBI's Facebook page initially, which in the past has been the case with some TBI alerts. Some people said they couldn't open the alert link at first.
The Putnam County Fire Department said the link later began working and linked to the proper public safety message here.