Newly released video shows Kentucky State Police troopers using an armored Chevrolet Suburban to pull three sheriff's deputies and a civilian to safety after they spent hours pinned down by gunfire during a deadly standoff in Adair County. The footage, tied to the April 20 siege on Chestnut Grove Road in Columbia, Kentucky, captures the moment the agency's special response team used the vehicle as a moving shield to reach the trapped group.
According to WDRB, the standoff left four people dead, including 38-year-old suspected gunman Ryan Sneed, and the Adair County Sheriff's Office believes Sneed was responsible for three fatal shootings that morning. Detectives found 63-year-old Debra Clark dead at a home on Henson Road, 67-year-old Joyce Sneed dead inside a home on Lakeview Drive, and 37-year-old Michael Curry dead inside the Chestnut Grove Road home where the standoff later unfolded. Dispatchers received a call from a family member reporting that his brother, Curry, had been shot.
Kentucky State Police arrived just before 11 a.m. that day and responded alongside deputies from the Adair County Sheriff's Office. One deputy and a civilian took cover after coming under fire from Sneed and were pinned down for several hours, and two additional deputies attempted to reach them using ballistic shields before also coming under fire, per WDRB's reporting.
An Ambush That Left a Cruiser Riddled With Bullets
The Adair County Sheriff's Office vehicle sustained at least 16 bullet holes during the encounter, according to WDRB. That account aligns with an earlier report from the Adair County Community Voice, which detailed that Deputy Emily Wall was the first officer to arrive at the property and immediately took rifle fire from inside the home that riddled her cruiser with bullets while she maneuvered to protect a civilian.
The outlet's report also named Deputies Josh Brockman and Josh Durbin as the pair who used patrol vehicles as shields to reach Wall and the civilian, leaving all four pinned down behind Wall's vehicle for more than two hours before the armored Suburban extracted them. Sheriff Gary Roy later commended Wall for her courage under fire, the same outlet reported. No law enforcement officers were injured in the standoff, WDRB noted.
Explosives Claim, Tear Gas and a Bullet-Proof Skid Steer
The standoff stretched for hours before Sneed came out of the Chestnut Grove Road home with a gun just before 7 p.m., according to WDRB. He initially fired at one deputy and a civilian and later fired at additional law enforcement, according to WDRB. During phone negotiations, Sneed claimed to possess explosives inside the residence, and KSP later searched the home for explosives, according to Laker Country 104.9 FM WJRS.
Law enforcement deployed tear gas, surveillance drones and an armored skid steer to dismantle sections of the home's exterior during the multi-hour standoff before Sneed emerged armed with an AR-style rifle, the Adair County Community Voice reported. KSP's special response team ultimately fired at Sneed and killed him, according to WDRB.
A History of Warnings Before the Shootings
Court records reported by LEX 18 show Joyce Sneed filed four protective orders against her son since 2018, with the most recent domestic violence order granted just a month before the fatal shootings. Michael Curry was one of the three victims.
According to the Kentucky Justice & Public Safety Cabinet's 2025 Domestic Violence Data Report, 20,129 emergency protective orders and temporary interpersonal protective orders were ordered by the court.
Weeks before the standoff, Sneed had already had a run-in with local deputies. He was arrested on February 23, 2026, by Adair County Sheriff's Deputy Emily Wall after brandishing a machete on Lakeview Drive, fleeing on foot before being apprehended, according to 93.5 WAIN. The charges included terroristic threatening, fleeing and evading, methamphetamine possession and marijuana possession. The Adair County Community Voice separately reported that Sneed had an extensive criminal history dating back to age 18 and was a convicted felon legally prohibited from possessing firearms, raising unresolved questions about how he obtained the AR-style rifle used in the standoff.
State Police Highlight the Armored Vehicle's Role
KSP said it uses several specialized vehicles during high-risk situations, and the armored Chevrolet Suburban, purchased in 2021, is designed to protect against rifle fire, including armor-piercing rounds, allowing the special response team to quickly reach officers and civilians when larger armored vehicles are not practical. KSP Commissioner Phillip Burnett Jr. said the agency invests in advanced tools to protect and serve Kentucky residents and that personnel need equipment to safely respond to evolving public safety challenges, per WDRB.
Gov. Andy Beshear recognized the special response team and thanked its members for their bravery, saying the rescue showed teamwork and selflessness. Per a news release from the Kentucky State Police, the agency's Critical Incident Response Team was conducting the investigation into the fatal officer-involved shooting of Sneed, while KSP Post 15 detectives handled the triple-homicide investigation and conducted welfare checks in connection with the case.
