LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A 45-year-old Georgetown, Kentucky, man has been arrested for shooting and killing a Kentucky sheriff's deputy on Interstate 75 in Scott County.

According to Fayette County spokesman Maj. Matt Lemonds, Steve Sheangshang was been charged with the murder of 35-year-old Scott County Sheriff's Deputy Caleb Conley.

Lexington Police said Sheangshang had already been featured as Bluegrass Crime Stoppers' Most Wanted Person of the Week on May 18 for unlawfully entering and burglarizing a garage. He was wanted on two warrants for second degree burglary.

Just before 5 p.m. on Monday, near Georgetown, Kentucky, Deputy Conley initiated a traffic stop on Sheangshang, according to the Scott County Sheriff's Office. At some point during the traffic stop, Sheangshang allegedly shot Conley and drove off.

Police said Conley was taken to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

According to Lexington police, about an hour later, just before 6 p.m., Sheangshang shot a man in the abdomen at the Rose & Jim's Bar & Grill on Georgetown Road in Lexington. He then allegedly stole that victim's vehicle.

The victim was rushed to surgery at UK Hospital. His current condition is not known.

Police were able to use license plate readers and traffic cameras to track the stolen vehicle to Whitney Avenue in Lexington, and Sheangshang was arrested at a nearby home. 

With regard to the shooting of Deputy Conley, Sheangshang is charged with murder of a police officer, possession of a handgun by a convicted felon, burglary, theft of an automobile, wanton endangerment and fleeing/evading police in Scott County.

With regard to the subsequent shooting at the the Rose & Jim's Bar & Grill, he's charged with first-degree assault, first-degree robbery, possession of a handgun by a convicted felon and tampering with physical evidence, in Fayette County. 

He's also charged with two warrants for second-degree burglary that were already outstanding before the shootings occurred. 

WDRB's partner station, LEX 18 News, reported that Conley had been with the sheriff's office for four years after serving eight years with the U.S. Army. He leaves behind a wife, small children and his parents.

Scott County Sheriff Tony Hampton called Conley "an excellent asset to our staff" who had won multiple awards.

"Deputy Conley was very active in his role as a deputy sheriff, he took his job very serious, he was just a go-getter and he loved his job and it's a shame that it got cut short because he loved this job so much, and he was so good at it," Hampton said.

The sheriff asked the public to keep Conley's family, including his law enforcement family, in their thoughts and prayers.

A GoFundMe was set up for his family and promoted by the Scott County Sheriff's Office. To visit the GoFundMe, click here.

"These are gonna be critical times coming up. We never want to see anything like this happen, the reality is we know it can but, when it does ... it's hard," he said.

Hampton also said he believes Conley's death is the first line of duty death for the sheriff's office.

"He was a damn good deputy, and he loved his job," he said. "He took it very serious, and (he was) out there today doing his job (and) look what happened to him. A coward coming through our county, on I-75, took his life. Took him away from his family."

In a Facebook post, the sheriff's office said "We are deeply saddened to announce we lost a beloved member of our office today, Deputy Caleb Conley. We are receiving a much appreciated, overwhelming outreach of support from our community and across this state."

The office said it would be providing information about how to help them and Conley's family sometime Tuesday. The office will also be closed on Tuesday.

Gov. Andy Beshear made a statement on Twitter about the shooting, asking Kentuckians to pray for Conley's family and his fellow law enforcement officers.

"This hero made the ultimate sacrifice, and we will be forever grateful," Beshear said. 

Interim Louisville Metro Police Chief Jacquelyn Gwinn-Villaroel also issued a statement via Twitter, expressing the department's condolences to Conley and the Scott County Sheriff's Office.

"We offer our prayers and support during this difficult time. Rest easy brother," the post read.

The Kentucky State Police Critical Response Team is handling the investigation at the request of the sheriff's office. It's unclear at this time when law enforcement officials expect to release more information in the case.

On Tuesday morning, a procession carrying Conley's body passed along Main Street in downtown Georgetown as childhood friends, veterans and complete strangers came out to honor his sacrifice.

Rebecca Maupin came out to show her respects, calling Conley's death "heartbreaking," but adding that, "just to see the whole community come together as a group is amazing."

Some community members, like Barbara Mitchell, said they were outraged that someone could do such a thing.

"We got a lot of people that are evil and cruel in this world," she said, "and people don't respect nobody no more."

Conley leaves behind two elementary-aged kids, and one mom in the crowd said she felt the grief as if it was her own family.

"He had two children who woke up and aren't going to school, and a wife who is trying to explain why their dad is gone," said Molly Coll.

Coll's daughters carried a sign bearing Conley's badge number: 240.

A block away from the procession, a memorial was growing outside the Scott County Sheriff's Office. People brought flowers and draped a banner with Conley's name, his end-of-watch date and a Scripture reference over the cruiser.

Representatives of Kentucky Concerns of Police Survivors, a non-profit, were also in town to support law enforcement agencies in the area that were also shaken from the loss of their own.

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