The Greg McCowan shooting took the life of a Blount County, Tennessee deputy sheriff on the night of February 8, 2024, during a traffic stop in Maryville. McCowan, 43, was shot multiple times by the driver, Kenneth Wayne DeHart Jr., who fled and was captured after a five-day manhunt. DeHart now faces 21 criminal charges, including premeditated first-degree murder, and prosecutors are seeking the death penalty. His trial is scheduled to begin September 14, 2026.1WVLT. Judge Denies Bond for Kenneth DeHart
What Happened at the Traffic Stop
Around 8:00 p.m. on February 8, 2024, Deputy Shelby Eggers pulled over a vehicle driven by DeHart near 4959 Sevierville Road in Maryville for erratic driving. She called for backup, and Deputy McCowan responded.2ODMP. Deputy Sheriff Greg McCowan Eggers reported smelling marijuana, which prompted further investigation. DeHart refused to exit the vehicle or cooperate. The deputies tried to remove him from the car and deployed a Taser.3CNN. Blount County Sheriff’s Office Releases Bodycam Footage of Deputy Shooting
DeHart, a convicted felon, then opened fire. He shot McCowan multiple times and wounded Eggers in the leg. Eggers returned fire, but DeHart escaped in his vehicle.2ODMP. Deputy Sheriff Greg McCowan McCowan was taken to Blount Memorial Hospital and died from his wounds. Eggers was treated and released.4WBAY. Deputy Shot, Killed While Conducting Traffic Stop; Manhunt Underway for Suspect
The Blount County Sheriff’s Office later released roughly 28 minutes of edited bodycam and dashcam video from both deputies. Sheriff James Lee Berrong held the release until after McCowan’s funeral and after the family had viewed it. The footage captures the conversation, the struggle to remove DeHart from the car, the Taser deployment, the gunfire, and Eggers calling for help.5WATE. Sheriff’s Office Releases Bodycam Video of Deputy Shooting It has since become a central piece of evidence in the criminal case.
The Manhunt and Arrest
DeHart’s escape triggered a five-day multi-agency search involving the Blount County Sheriff’s Office, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, the Knox County Sheriff’s Office, the Knoxville Police Department, and the U.S. Marshals Service. TBI placed his image on billboards across the Southeast, and a reward exceeding $100,000 was offered, including $40,000 contributed by Smith & Wesson.6ABC News. Tennessee Fugitive in Deputy Shooting Caught
Investigators tracked DeHart’s cellphone during the search and believed he used multiple vehicles across several counties, possibly crossing into Georgia.7Knoxville News Sentinel. Police Arrest Kenneth DeHart, Wanted in Killing of Blount County Deputy On February 13, 2024, around 3:20 p.m., detectives located him at a home on Linden Avenue in Knoxville’s Park City neighborhood, roughly 15 miles north of the shooting scene. Officers deployed flash-bangs when he stepped outside, and he surrendered with his hands raised. Sheriff Berrong later noted that McCowan’s own handcuffs were used to detain him.6ABC News. Tennessee Fugitive in Deputy Shooting Caught U.S. Marshal David Jolley said the reward likely would not be paid because no specific public tip led investigators to the residence.
Two people close to DeHart were charged with helping him evade capture. His brother, Marcus Erving DeHart, was charged with accessory after the fact and held on $1 million bond. His girlfriend, Carrie Matthews, was arrested in Sevier County after allegedly calling him to warn “they’re here” while deputies were at her home searching for him. She was held on $350,000 bond with GPS monitoring.8Knoxville News Sentinel. Kenneth DeHart’s Brother, Girlfriend Helped Him Escape
Kenneth DeHart’s Prior Record
DeHart was already well known to Tennessee law enforcement. TBI records show a criminal history from 2002 to 2017 spanning 26 counts, including 13 counts of violating an order of protection, three counts of aggravated assault, three domestic violence charges, two counts of unlawful weapons possession, two drug charges, and one count of witness coercion. He previously served four years at the Charles B. Bass Correctional Complex for aggravated assault.9WATE. Suspect Accused of Fatally Shooting Deputy Criminal History
A 2004 Pigeon Forge incident fits the pattern. During a traffic stop for window tinting, DeHart allegedly gave a false name, and after a K-9 alerted on the vehicle he reportedly held a gun to his own head and “held police at bay” before being taken into custody. He was charged with unlawful weapons possession, drug possession, and reckless endangerment with a deadly weapon.9WATE. Suspect Accused of Fatally Shooting Deputy Criminal History
Charges and the Death Penalty Decision
DeHart was initially charged with first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, and being a felon in possession of a weapon. A Blount County grand jury later re-indicted him on 21 counts. The lead charges are premeditated first-degree murder and attempted premeditated first-degree murder, alongside multiple firearm-related counts, two counts of aggravated assault against a first responder, evading arrest with risk of death, tampering with evidence, reckless endangerment, resisting arrest, and failure to maintain lane.10WVLT. Kenneth DeHart Indicted on 21 Counts
Blount County District Attorney General Ryan Desmond has said his office will seek the death penalty if DeHart is convicted.11WVLT. Kenneth DeHart to Appear in Court In April 2026, Blount County Circuit Court Judge Tammy Harrington denied DeHart’s motion for bond. He remains in custody without bond, with trial set for September 14, 2026.1WVLT. Judge Denies Bond for Kenneth DeHart
Pretrial Fights Over Evidence
The pretrial phase has centered on two questions: whether DeHart got the preliminary hearing he was entitled to, and whether the bodycam and dashcam footage can be used against him.
His initial preliminary hearing was held on February 20, 2024, days after his arrest, while he was still represented by a public defender. His later legal team argued that the public defenders were unprepared and that the general sessions judge had unreasonably denied a request for more time to retain private counsel.12WATE. DeHart Preliminary Hearing In June 2025, Judge Harrington agreed and granted a new preliminary hearing, ruling that the original judge had “unreasonably denied” the continuance and effectively denied DeHart his right to counsel of choice. Harrington emphasized that capital cases require heightened due process.13WIVK. Man Accused in Blount County Deputy’s Death Appears in Court By then, DeHart had retained private defense attorney Stephen Ross Johnson.14Knoxville News Sentinel. Kenneth DeHart New Preliminary Hearing in Blount County Deputy Death The redo hearing on November 25, 2025 ended in the same outcome: bail denied, motion to suppress denied, case bound over to the grand jury.
The defense has repeatedly tried to suppress evidence. Johnson has argued that the traffic stop was unconstitutional, that Eggers lacked probable cause to escalate it, that the Taser deployment was excessive force, and, at one hearing, that Eggers “lied about smelling marijuana.”15WVLT. Court Denies Motion to Throw Out Evidence in Kenneth DeHart Case The circuit court found the stop for erratic driving lawful, the marijuana odor sufficient to justify further investigation, and DeHart’s refusal to cooperate the reason the situation escalated. The court also held that even if the Taser use were considered excessive, the alleged shooting of the two deputies was an “independent and intervening criminal act” that “effectively removed any taint from the prior interaction,” leaving all subsequent evidence admissible.16WBIR. Court Denies Motion to Suppress Evidence At a May 6, 2026 hearing, the defense sought specifically to suppress all body and dash camera footage recorded after the Taser was deployed. The judge denied that motion too, finding the defense had “failed to establish a constitutional violation.”17WATE. Motion Denied to Suppress Video of Fatal Shooting in Kenneth DeHart Trial
DeHart’s Federal Civil Lawsuit
On February 7, 2025, DeHart filed a federal civil lawsuit under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee, seeking up to $3 million in compensatory and punitive damages. It names Blount County, the Sheriff’s Office, Sheriff Berrong, Deputy Eggers, and several other deputies.18WVLT. Man Accused in Blount County Deputy’s Death Files Lawsuit
The suit alleges excessive force at several points: the Taser use during the traffic stop, alleged beatings while DeHart was handcuffed on the pavement after his Knoxville arrest, and injuries during a custody exchange between agencies. It also alleges he was denied adequate medical care at the Blount County Jail. The complaint cites injuries documented at intake by the Loudon County Jail medical team, including facial scrapes and bruising on his forehead, scalp, wrists, elbow, and torso.18WVLT. Man Accused in Blount County Deputy’s Death Files Lawsuit Sheriff Berrong declined to comment, citing the pending litigation.19Knoxville News Sentinel. Kenneth DeHart Filed Federal Lawsuit Over His Arrest
Who Greg McCowan Was
Gregory A. McCowan was born September 26, 1980 and lived in Maryville. Friends called him “Little G.” He was ordained as a deacon and was remembered for helping anyone who needed it, from fixing a car to watching over a friend’s family during a deployment.20WATE. Friends, Colleagues Remember Deputy Greg McCowan at Funeral Service
He served for years as a reserve deputy before being hired full-time by the Blount County Sheriff’s Office after graduating from the police academy in October 2020. In his four years with the department he worked as a patrol deputy, an emergency medical responder, and a member of the Crisis Negotiations Team.21Til Valhalla Project. Deputy Sheriff Greg A. McCowan In 2021 he received the Sheriff’s Office Lifesaving Award for helping rescue a man from a burning vehicle.22Upper Michigan’s Source. Deputy Shot, Killed While Conducting Traffic Stop Off duty, he loved dirt track racing, boating, motorcycles, and restoring cars, especially Mustangs. He is survived by his fiancée, Leah Lane; his children, Cayley and Cayden McCowan; his granddaughter, Ella Underwood; his parents; and his sister, Charity Taulbee.23Smith Funeral and Cremation. Gregory McCowan Obituary
Honors After His Death
McCowan’s funeral was held with full police honors on February 14, 2024 at Sevier Heights Baptist Church in Knoxville, with interment at Grandview Cemetery. Governor Bill Lee ordered flags over the State Capitol lowered to half-staff.24WVLT. East Tennessee Honors Fallen Blount County Deputy Greg McCowan On September 10, 2024, the governor posthumously presented McCowan with the Three Stars of Tennessee Award at a ceremony in Nashville. The award recognizes law enforcement officers, firefighters, and medical first responders killed or given career-ending injuries in the line of duty. Deputy Eggers accepted it on behalf of McCowan’s family.25Blount County Sheriff’s Office. Fallen BCSO Deputy Greg McCowan Recognized by Governor Lee
In the days after the shooting, Sheriff Berrong spoke about the loss. “Deputy McCowan was always smiling and friendly to everyone,” he said. “He was a hero both in life and in his death.” Speaking to the family, he added: “I’m so sorry that we lost him. I apologize for not protecting him.”26WVLT. Who Was Fallen Blount County Deputy Greg McCowan