A Kentucky man who was being questioned by authorities at a sheriff’s office fatally shot one of the deputies interviewing him during a cigarette break, police said.
Calloway County Sheriff’s Chief Deputy Jody Cash died May 16 after Gary Rowland, 30, shot him with a concealed handgun, Kentucky State Police said in a news release Friday.
Rowland was fatally shot by a second deputy who had also been questioning him, the release said.
Rowland had earlier been arrested on outstanding warrants for drug, firearm and other crimes. After being taken to the Marshall County Sheriff’s Office in western Kentucky, Cash and the second deputy — who were serving on a DEA task force — began interviewing him for an investigation unrelated to the warrants, according to the news release.
When Rowland asked for a cigarette break, the deputies escorted him outside. While standing in front of the sheriff’s office, Rowland fired at Cash, striking him, the release says.
Officials did not say where Rowland had hidden the weapon or how he'd kept it after being arrested.
Two other deputies returned fire, hitting Rowland, the statement says. Cash and Rowland were pronounced dead at a local hospital.
Cash had served 22 years in law enforcement, including with the Kentucky State Police and the Calloway County Sheriff’s Office.
In a statement obtained by NBC affiliate WPSD after Cash's death, Calloway County Sheriff Nicky Knight called him a “dear friend” who he'd known throughout Cash's career. He recalled Cash's son playing "Taps" during annual memorials honoring dead officers.
"As a father of three myself, I would always glance over at Jody watching his son play and the look of pride he had was inspiring," the said. "That image will forever remain in my mind. In the years to come at this ceremony, I have no doubt he will still be standing at attention, still beaming with pride."