Man accused of killing Tennessee deputy during traffic stop has been captured after manhunt

The man accused of fatally shooting a sheriff’s deputy in Tennessee last week has been captured in Knoxville.

Kenneth DeHart, 42, was taken into custody Tuesday afternoon, Blount County Sheriff James Lee Berrong said.

DeHart is accused of shooting a deputy and injuring another during a traffic stop in Maryville on Thursday evening. Officials launched a manhunt and warned the public that should be considered “armed and dangerous.”

Knoxville police said on social media platform X that DeHart was taken into custody at a residence in the city. No additional details about Tuesday’s arrest were unavailable.

DeHart is accused of first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, and felon in possession of a firearm, the Blount County Sheriff’s Office said previously.

Deputies Greg McCowan, 43, and Shelby Eggers, 22, stopped DeHart’s SUV Thursday evening.

For reasons not made clear, deputies ordered him out of the vehicle, but he stayed put, and they deployed a stun gun that had “no affect,” according to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.

“At some point during the encounter, DeHart produced a gun and fired shots, striking both deputies,” the agency said in a statement.

McCowan was struck and died at a hospital, authorities said. Eggers was struck in a leg, hospitalized and released Friday, the sheriff’s office said. She continued to recover at her home, it said.

McCowan was a reserve deputy who elevated his role to full-time deputy in 2020 during the pandemic, the sheriff’s office said.

Blount County is just south of Knoxville.