Constable Coner Flanary Hughes

Coner Flanary Hughes

Constable Coner Hughes was shot and killed when he encountered a drunk man who was on a shooting rampage in Pennington Gap.

The suspect had started shooting in a pool hall and shot Constable Hughes three times in the chest on a city street after exiting the hall. The man then shot and wounded another man who tried to disarm him. As he passed by a local business he shot and seriously wounded the merchant inside for no reason.

The suspect was arrested a short time later at his home by a state trooper. As the trooper entered his home he tried to kill himself but he had fired all of his bullets.

The suspect, 24, was convicted of Constable Hughes murder and sentenced to 35 years. He was also convicted of two counts of attempted murder and sentenced to 15 years. At some point he was released because he died at his home in Pennington Gap in 1983.