Police capture Aryan Nations member wanted in connection with officer shooting

Knoxville Police Department(KNOXVILLE, Tenn.) — A confirmed member of the Aryan Nations white supremacist group who was wanted in connection with the shooting of a Tennessee police officer was captured early Saturday morning, police said.

Ronnie Lucas Wilson was put on Tennessee’s “Top 10 Most Wanted” list on Friday after authorities identified him as the suspect who opened fire and wounded a veteran Knoxville police officer during a traffic stop Thursday evening. He was found in an abandoned residence in neighboring Blount County, authorities said.

“CAPTURED! Wilson was just now located in Blount County,” tweeted the Knoxville Police Department at 3:37 a.m. Saturday.

Blount County Sheriff James Lee Berrong said in a statement later Saturday morning, “Wilson is receiving treatment at a local hospital for injuries he sustained when he jumped out of a window of the residence.”

Kristin Denise King, 31, was also found with Wilson in the house. Blount County Fire Department also responded to extinguish a fire that started in the residence.

Wilson, 31, is believed to have jumped out of his car during a traffic stop Thursday and, without warning, opened fire multiple times on Officer Jay Williams, who had pulled him over at about 8:30 p.m., authorities said.

“What the community should know is that this individual is armed and dangerous,” Knoxville Police Chief David B. Rausch told reporters Thursday night. “I would advise people if they see him not to approach him. If he took a shot at an officer, he wouldn’t hesitate to take a shot at anyone else.”

Rausch described Wilson as a known member of the Aryan Nations who, at the time of the encounter with Williams, was wanted on a probation violation for aggravated assault — a case that had initially charged as an attempted murder.

Williams, a 14-year veteran of the Knoxville Police Department, was shot in the shoulder during the traffic stop and is expected to make a full recovery, Rausch said.

At the time he was pulled over, Wilson was driving a black 1970s model Chevrolet Nova with a red stripe on its hood, Rausch said. The car has since been found abandoned.

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation added Wilson to its “most wanted” list and is offering a $2,500 reward for information leading to his arrest.

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