Man shot, killed by U.S. Marshals identified
LOUISVILLE, KY (WAVE) – The name of a suspect who was shot and killed after he pulled out a gun and pointed it at two U.S. Marshals has been released.
The U.S. Marshals Service said the Western Kentucky Fugitive Task Force was attempting to take Timothy Vessels, 41, into custody during a traffic stop in the 6400 block of Ladd Avenue about 11:45 a.m. Wednesday.
Vessels, who was in the passenger seat of the vehicle, refused to comply with commands and pointed a firearm at deputies, according to the Marshals Service. Two deputy marshals fired at Vessels in response to the threat.
Vessels was pronounced dead at the scene.
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The Marshals said they were searching for Vessels as a request by the Bullitt County Sheriff's Office and their investigation led them to Ladd Avenue.
Investigators believe the male driver of the car borrowed the vehicle from a friend.
"I was walking to the store and I heard gun shots and after that everything just went quiet," said Kano Banez who was walking by when he heard the shots. "I heard five shots."
At the time of the shooting Vessels was on federal supervised release with pending violations and was wanted in Bullitt County for possession of a firearm and forced burglary.
Marshals said Vessels has a criminal history that includes arrests for federal narcotics violations and possession/sale of firearms.
Cynthia Vessels, 37, who was in a home near where the car was stopped, was also taken into custody. She was wanted on warrants out of Bullitt County.
The scene took hours to clear. Others who live on the block were not allowed to drive past the yellow tape to get to their homes.
The U.S. Marshals is leading the investigation, but are being assisted by Louisville Metro police. The LMPD public integrity unit is also part of the investigation.
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