Wildlife officer involved in second shooting since December
ABERDEEN, Ky. – Kentucky State Police troopers are investigating an officer-involved shooting that occurred late Thursday night in the Aberdeen community in Butler County.
Kentucky Fish & Wildlife Conservation Officer Jonathan Barks was attempting to serve an indictment warrant on Joseph P. Eden, 56, of Brandenburg, Ky. when he said Eden started a dump truck and drove in Barks’ direction leading Barks to open fire on Eden, according to a release from state police.
This is the second time Barks has shot someone in the line of duty since Dec. 20 when he was involved in a shoot out with another man in Butler County. That man, Gary Ranburger, survived the shooting and is now in the Butler County Jail awaiting trial on multiple charges including attempted murder of a police officer.
Thursday, Barks was attempting to serve a warrant on Eden near 1941 Beaver Dam Road. Eden was wanted on charges of third-degree assault of a police officer, tampering with physical evidence, first-degree fleeing or evading police and multiple drug offenses, according to the release.
Butler Circuit Court records show the warrant Barks was trying to serve was an indictment warrant in which he was the complaining witness.
Barks found Eden sitting in a semi truck. Eden got out of the truck and took off running to a wooded area. A Butler County Sheriff’s Deputy responded to help Barks. They found Eden in a nearby dump truck, according to the release.
Eden started the dump truck and drove in Barks’ direction, according to the release. Barks was in the path of the dump truck and fired his weapon several times into the windshield of the dump truck in an attempt to stop the truck from advancing, according to the release.
Eden sustained a wound to the neck, was taken into police custody and is now being treated at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tenn. where he is listed in critical but stable condition, KSP Post 3 spokesman Trooper Jeremy Hodges said.
Barks was not injured and has been placed on routine administrative leave pending investigation of the incident.
The truck has bullet holes in the windshield and the driver’s side window is completely broken out. The back window is shattered.
Gary Phelps, who usually drives that dump truck, said the truck appeared to be sitting in the same place he had parked it before the incident occurred. While he said it’s possible the truck may have moved, it didn’t look to him like it had.
“It’s not possible to instantly get in and drive,” Phelps said of that particular type of truck. Phelps stopped by to pick up a log book from inside the vehicle.
The original charges for which Barks obtained an indictment warrant occurred in the same location as the incident Thursday night. During that incident, Barks stopped Eden who Barks said was driving a bicycle in the wrong direction during dark hours without any illuminating devices on the bike Oct. 13, according to Eden’s original arrest citation.
In that incident, Eden is accused of tossing a tin can with suspected methamphetamine in it while running from Barks, according to the citation. Barks wrote in that citation that he had his gun drawn and ordered Eden to show him his hands before Barks physically forced Eden to the ground.
