Two Clarksville men charged in connection to a carjacking that led to the shooting of a Hopkinsville Police officer in February were indicted by a federal Grand Jury this week.
U.S. Attorney Russell Coleman reports Keith Kuzyk and Anthony Johnson were indicted April 9 on a five-count indictment tied to the February 18, 2019 carjacking. Hopkinsville Police reported the carjacking occurred at Walmart on Clinic Drive.
Coleman says the grand jury also charged Kuzyk with the use, carry and discharge of a .380 semiautomatic pistol during the carjacking, while Johnson is also charged with the use, carry and brandishing of a multi-semiautomatic rifle related to the crime.
According to Coleman, Kuzyk faces two additional charges of being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm after he was previously convicted of Aggravated Assault and Evading Arrest, Theft over $1,000 and first-degree Possession of a Controlled Substance (Methamphetamine).
Coleman says violent crimes such as this armed carjacking and the shooting of a peace officer, which is being dealt with in state court, will not be tolerated in the Commonwealth. He also thanked the men and women of Kentucky law enforcement who risk their lives daily to protect our families.
Coleman notes the charge of carjacking carries a term of imprisonment of no more than 15 years, while the use, carry and discharge of a firearm related to a crime of violence carries no less than 10 years and no more than life in prison. He adds the use carry and brandishing of a firearm related to a crime of violence carries a term of imprisonment of nor less than 7 years and no more than life, while being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm carries a term of no more than 10 years in prison, unless there are three qualifying convictions, which in that case Coleman says is a mandatory minimum of 15 years and no more than life in prison.
Hopkinsville Police reported Kuzyk and Johnson, along with Autumn and September Neblett, carjacked a SUV at Walmart on Clinic Drive on February 18. The carjacking led to a pursuit on North Drive, in which police reported Kuzyk fired multiple shots at Officer Jeremy Davidson, hitting him in the arm and grazing his head. Police arrested Autumn Neblett after the shooting when she was found with an assault rifle hiding in a dugout at University Heights Academy. The other three suspects were arrested in Montgomery County, Tennessee later that night.
Officer Davidson was transported to a Nashville hospital after the shooting where he was treated and then released the following day.
Hopkinsville Police charged Kuzyk with two counts of attempted murder of a police officer, first-degree wanton endangerment of a police officer, first-degree robbery, and several other offenses. Autumn and September Neblett, along with Johnson, are facing first-degree robbery and other charges related to the carjacking.
