Second man arrested in the shooting of a Tennessee Highway Patrol trooper

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A second man has been arrested in the shooting of a Tennessee Highway Patrol trooper, authorities said.

Trooper Adam Cothron stopped a Kia Forte driven by Timothy Davis Jr. on Interstate 40 on Friday. When he approached, Davis shot Cothron, critically wounding him, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said in a news release. The trooper remained hospitalized Tuesday, the agency said.

Davis, 25, was arrested in Nashville on Monday night and charged with attempted first-degree murder. His passenger, 29-year-old Braze Rucker, was previously arrested at a home in Princeton, the state police said Sunday. Rucker is charged with criminal responsibility of facilitation of a felony.

“Trooper Cothron has a long road to recovery ahead of him,” Col. Matt Perry of the highway patrol said at a news conference Tuesday. “But he’s a trooper. He’ll overcome, and we’ll be by his side every step of the way.”

Law enforcement worked “tirelessly” to arrest the defendants after the “unprovoked” attack, Perry said.

“Tennessee is a safer place today because these two people are off the streets,” he said.

Davis’ bond was set at $3 million and Rucker’s was set at $1 million. Court records don’t list attorneys for either man.