Kentucky man charged with attempted murder of deputy U.S. Marshal, task-force officer

A fugitive who fired shots at officers after a chase in Southern Kentucky has been indicted in federal court on two counts of attempted murder of a federal law-enforcement officer.

Byron Kemp Howard, 70, also faces a charge of illegal possession of a .38 caliber pistol he wasn’t supposed to have because he is a convicted felon.

The incident happened May 20 in Laurel County.

Howard was staying in a shed in a rural area when officers from the U.S. Marshals Service, Kentucky State Police and the Laurel County Sheriff’s Office tried to arrest him, according to records in state court.

Howard jumped into a Lexus and rammed into a wooden building, then got on the highway and fled at speeds topping 100 mile per hour, according to a citation in state court.

Howard ultimately ran off the road and hit a tree.

Howard then reportedly tried to shoot and kill a deputy U.S. Marshal and a task-force officer. The shots did not hit the officers, said Jeremy Honaker, acting U.S. Marshal for the federal Eastern District of Kentucky.

The attempted murder charge in federal court is punishable by up to 20 years in prison.

Howard was charged earlier in state court with five counts of attempted murder of a police officer and three counts of wanton endangerment.

Howard has a lengthy criminal record in Kentucky that includes charges of burglary and manufacturing and possession of methamphetamine.