Kentucky State Police shot and killed a man who fatally shot two family members and an acquaintance in Adair County.
Troopers were told by dispatch that an individual reported that his brother, 37-year-old Michael Adam Curry, had been shot at the residence.
Upon law enforcement’s arrival, an Adair County deputy was fired on from inside the residence.
The deputy sought cover near her cruiser until she could be safely extracted from the area in front of the residence, state police said in a press release, as the shooter, 38-year-old Ryan Sneed, of Columbia, barricaded himself inside the residence.
(State police spokesperson Sherry Bray told the Herald-Leader that Curry was an acquaintance of Sneed’s.)
The KSP Special Response Team (SRT) responded to the residence to assist troopers until Sneed was taken into custody.
During a lengthy barricade situation, state police learned that Sneed had made threats to kill his family, resulting in state police conducting welfare checks on Sneed’s family members.
Detectives went to a residence on Lakeview Drive in Adair County to attempt to contact Sneed’s 67-year-old mother, Joyce Sneed, who was found deceased in the residence. Detectives also went to a residence on Henson Road in Adair County to attempt to contact Sneed’s 63-year-old aunt, Debra Clark, who was also found deceased.
All other family members were located and found to be safe throughout the day.
Over several hours, law enforcement attempted to communicate with Sneed and negotiate a peaceful resolution. Throughout the afternoon, Sneed periodically fired at law enforcement, who returned fire on several occasions.
Shortly before 7:00 Monday night, Sneed exited the residence armed with a firearm, as members of the KSP SRT shot and killed Sneed. He Sneed was pronounced deceased at the scene by the Adair County Coroner’s Office.
No law enforcement members were injured during this incident.
The investigations of the murders of Joyce Sneed, Clark, and Curry continue and are being led by Post 15 Detective Josh Dicken. KSP was assisted by numerous law enforcement and emergency services personnel, both from Adair and surrounding counties.
The KSP Critical Incident Response Team is conducting the ongoing investigation into the trooper-involved shooting.
Ken Howlett, News Director
Contact Ken at ken@k105.com
