Holly MatkinHendersonville, TN – A manhunt is underway for the gunman who shot a Hendersonville police officer during a vehicle pursuit on Monday night.
Police said the suspect, 34-year-old Samuel Edwards, may be driving a white 2009 Chevrolet Silverado with a missing front grill, multiple dents, and damage to the front bumper, WAGA reported.
The license plate on the pickup truck is Tennessee 88F-W55.
Edwards was seen carrying two guns, and should be considered armed and dangerous, according to police.
He is five feet, eleven inches tall, weighs approximately 160 pounds, and has brown eyes and brown hair, the Tennessean reported.
The series of events leading to the shooting began at approximately 8 p.m. on June 27, when a Hendersonville police officer ran the plates of a black van traveling along Vietnam Veterans Parkway, WTVF reported.
The plates were registered to a different vehicle, so the officer attempted to pull the driver over.
But police said the driver, later identified as Edwards, refused to stop.
“The pursuit traveled from Vietnam Veterans Parkway, down the interstate and off here at Old Hickory Boulevard in Davidson County,” Metropolitan Nashville Police Department (MNPD) Spokesperson Don Aaron told WTVF. “According to the Hendersonville officer, the suspect was firing shots almost immediately after the pursuit began, back at his police vehicle.”
At least one bullet traveled through the driver’s side of the patrol vehicle’s windshield, photos released by the MNPD showed.
The Hendersonville officer was hit by the suspect’s gunfire.
Police said Edwards sped off and ultimately ditched his black van on Gibson Drive, WTVF reported.
A home security cameral showed him carrying two firearms shortly before he allegedly stole the white Chevrolet Silverado from the driveway of a nearby residence, according to police.
Investigators said the keys to the pickup had been left inside the vehicle.
“There is a possibility he has taken this truck and moved out of the area,” Aaron said, according to WTVF. “We are continuing to blanket this area and search it.”
The wounded Hendersonville police officer was transported to Vanderbilt University Medical Center, where his injuries were determined to be non-life threatening, WTVF reported.
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) has issued a Blue Alert for Edwards.
“He should be considered armed and very dangerous,” the TBI said on Tuesday morning, according to the Tennessean.
BREAKING: The gunman has been identified as Samuel Quinton Edwards, 34. After firing the last shots at the Hendersonville officer's SUV, Edwards drove to the 600 block of Gibson Dr & abandoned this van. See Edwards or know where he is? Please call 911. pic.twitter.com/Xj9GNcX2vw
— Metro Nashville PD (@MNPDNashville) June 28, 2022
Edwards may be traveling in a 2009 white Chevrolet Silverado with TN tag 88F W55.
The vehicle has a missing grille and damage to the bumper. pic.twitter.com/W5TwuaYxGN
— Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (@TBInvestigation) June 28, 2022
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