Keavy man accused of shooting in the direction officers on Feb. 4 before they returned fire

A Keavy man, who allegedly shot in the direction of police officers during a Feb. 4 police pursuit in Laurel County before officers returned fire and shot him near Lily, is now out of the hospital and in jail.

Dylan Southerland is now out of the hospital and lodged in the Laurel County Correctional Center on four counts of attempted murder of a police officer.

Dylan S. Southerland, 31, was released from the University of Kentucky Medical Center Saturday, and transported to the Laurel County Correctional Center where he was booked at 8:52 p.m. on four counts of attempted murder of a police officer, according to a Kentucky State Police press release and Laurel County Correctional Center records.

Southerland has pleaded not guilty to the charges and a Feb. 27 preliminary hearing has been scheduled in Laurel District Court.

The Laurel County Correctional Center has his bond listed at $100,000 cash.

Additional charges are expected, according to the release.

The officer-involved shooting occurred on Sunday, Feb. 4, about 4:30 p.m. on Brannon Mill Road.

The preliminary investigation revealed that the London Police Department attempted to stop a vehicle for suspicion of impaired driving, according to a KSP release Tuesday afternoon.

KSP previously stated that the DUI complaint was on Tom Jensen Highway in London. The vehicle failed to stop, which resulted in a vehicle pursuit that lasted for about 13-14 minutes.

During the chase, deputies with the Laurel County Sheriff’s Office also joined the pursuit to assist London police.

“During the pursuit, while traveling south on KY229, the driver brandished a handgun out of the driver’s window and discharged the firearm multiple times in the direction of the officers. The vehicle turned onto Brannon Mill Road where it left the roadway into a residential area and became stationary,” according to Tuesday’s release.

The driver, identified as Southerland, exited the vehicle still brandishing the firearm and allegedly discharged it in the direction of the officers, the release stated.

London and Laurel County officers then discharged their agency-issued weapons striking Southerland.

“Officers were then able to place Mr. Southerland under arrest and administer first-aid until EMS arrived,” the according to Tuesday’s release.

No officers were injured during the incident.

The London Police Department and Laurel County Sheriff’s Department requested that KSP Post 11 troopers and detectives respond to the scene and investigate the case, a previous KSP release stated.

KSP has statewide jurisdiction and investigates officer-involved shootings throughout the Commonwealth as requested by local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies.

“KSP is committed to being transparent while ensuring the integrity of the investigation. To protect the integrity of an ongoing investigation, it is KSP’s standard operating procedure not to release specific details until vital witnesses have been interviewed and pertinent facts gathered. Timelines to complete investigations vary based on the complexity of the case,” the release noted.