GBI Identifies Man Killed After Shooting Trooper On I-75

CARTERSVILLE, GA — The Georgia Bureau of Investigation has released the identity of the handcuffed fugitive who was killed after shooting a state trooper during a traffic stop Thursday on Interstate 75 in Bartow County. The situation unfolded on the southbound side of I-75 at Exit 293 just north of Cartersville.

Preliminary information indicates the trooper conducted a traffic stop around 11 a.m. due to the driver traveling too slow in the fast/passing lane and "noting suspicious activity of the female driver and male passenger, the occupants were placed in separate vehicles," the GBI said Thursday evening. The trooper who conducted the traffic stop requested backup and another trooper arrived at the scene to help with the investigation.

During a search of the vehicle, which was bearing a temporary/drive-out tag from West Virginia, one trooper allegedly found drugs inside the car and approached the patrol vehicle where the male passenger, identified as 27-year-old Kenneth Martin Anderson, had been placed. While the trooper was performing a search on the subject, Anderson, who was handcuffed, allegedly pulled out a firearm from the small of his back and fired three times, the GBI said in its news release.

The trooper was hit once in his protective vest, and both troopers returned fire. Anderson was struck several times during the exchange. EMS crews were called to the scene and began performing life-saving measures on Anderson. He was transported to Cartersville Medical Center for treatment, but was pronounced dead upon his arrival.

The trooper was evaluated at the hospital, and medical staff determined he suffered blunt force impact trauma. He was treated and released from the hospital. The female driver, whose identity has not been released at this time, is being held at the Bartow County Jail and is expected to be charged by the Bartow County Sheriff's Office.

During a press conference held Thursday afternoon near the scene of the shooting, Georgia State Patrol spokesperson Capt. Mark Perry said Anderson provided a false name to authorities and when troopers used a portable fingerprint scanner to confirm his identity, they learned Anderson had "been on the run" for several months for parole violation charges. GBI spokesperson Natalie Ammons said it's unconfirmed where Anderson resides.

The GBI said it will continue its investigation and once it's complete, it will turn over its case file to the Cherokee Judicial Circuit District Attorney for review.

This shooting was the second officer-involved incident reported Thursday in Georgia. A 63-year-old man wearing a curtain and carrying a fake machine gun was fatally shot by officers with the Monroe Police Department after he allegedly pointed the fake weapon at police. The Bartow County shooting marked the 74th officer-involved shooting the GBI has been asked to investigate.

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