Manhunt For Floyd Cook Ended Early Friday Morning Near Burkesville, Kentucky

The manhunt for fugitive Floyd Ray Cook ended early Friday morning in a wooded area near Burkesville, Kentucky. After being chased across two states, Cook was fatally shot after being found with the help of a police helicopter’s thermal camera.

Cook has been at large for six days after shooting a Tennessee cop during a traffic stop last Saturday. After shooting the officer, Cook fled in a black Ford truck.

While Cook was at large, he led law officers a several chases and even fired shots at them on three different occasions. He escaped all three times.

The Kentucky police described the ending to the manhunt a “scary” conclusion.

Cook was located on an embankment about seven miles south of Burkesville near Kentucky Route 61 by Kentucky State Police Trooper Billy Gregory and a U.S. Marshal.

According to Gregory, Thursday afternoon, at around 3:40 p.m. Cook walked up to a home in Cumberland County near the Tennessee border and asked the homeowners for a ride, but they refused and called the police.

NewsChannel 5 spoke to the woman who talked to Cook. Cook ask her for a ride and a drink of water.

“He never would identify himself,” she said. “My brother said, ‘Who are you, who are you? What do you want?’ and he said, ‘I mean you no harm, I just need a drink of water. I mean you no harm.'”

Investigators working on the case described Cook as “armed and dangerous.”

Gregory said Cook was close to a resident when they caught him.

“Tonight was a scary moment. We didn’t know where he was, he could have been hiding in a tree, around a tree, in a bush or what have you. We are just grateful that no-one else was injured.”

Ahscari Valencia, who took a bullet in the chest from Cook last Saturday, survived and has been released from the hospital. Cook was wanted for the attempted murder of Valencia but he was also wanted on felony warrants out of Kentucky.

The Kentucky.com website says, “Convicted of rape in the 1970s, Cook was wanted in Marion County, Kentucky, for failing to comply with the sex offender registry, according to Sheriff Jimmy Clements. He also has convictions for robbery, burglary, assault and riot, and is wanted in Hardin County on an indictment charging him with trafficking methamphetamine and tampering with evidence.”

According to NBC News, two acquaintances of Cook’s who are also potentially dangerous — Katy McCarty, 35, and Troy Wayne, 50 — were picked up for questioning on Wednesday night.

“I can speak entirely for the community that we are relieved the manhunt has finally come to an end,” said John Phelps Jr., Cumberland County judge/executive. “Everyone has been on edge, not knowing where he might be, not knowing where he was at. He seemed to be a very elusive character.”

Gregory thanked the locals for their help in providing law official tips that helped with narrowing down where Cook might be hiding.

“It definitely should be noted that we’ve been getting information from all kinds of sources,” he told reporters. Without that information, “we’d still be combing the entire state of Kentucky.”

Gregory said the investigators were “a little surprised” at Cook’s resourcefulness because of his age.

“I don’t know what resources he had available to him, we may not ever know,” he said.

“We’re a very close-knit community…country folk. We’re not accustomed to seeing those kinds of things happening here,” said Gregory. “It all that’s been talked about since Saturday evening. It’s been very nerve-wracking. Everyone wants to carry on with normal lives.”

Phelps agreed with Gregory. “We’re thankful that it’s over. We’re ready to move on.”

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