By Justin Story, Bowling Green Daily News

Chief Deputy Brad Harper of the Simpson County Sheriff’s Office has been named as the officer who was shot and wounded Saturday as law enforcement pursued a suspect through Simpson and Allen counties.

The sheriff’s office posted on its Facebook page Monday that Harper was shot while trying to arrest a person on an attempted murder charge.

“Our office appreciates the continued prayers and love from the community,” said a post Monday on the Facebook account for the sheriff’s office.

Kentucky State Police are investigating the incident, which it said began with officers attempting to locate someone involved in a vehicle pursuit in Simpson County around 12:30 a.m. Saturday.

The Allen County Sheriff’s Office said that it was assisting Simpson County deputies in a pursuit in which a suspect shot at a Simpson County Sheriff’s Office deputy, who was not injured.

A post on the Facebook page for the Allen County Sheriff’s Office identified the suspect as 37-year-old Jeremy Rollenhagen.

The search continued into Allen County, and the suspect’s vehicle was found near New Buck Creek Road and Joe Shelton Road.

The entrances to New Buck Creek Road were blocked off by law enforcement for several hours Saturday while authorities used a helicopter to aid in the search.

KSP said that an officer-involved shooting occurred around 5:10 p.m. Saturday on New Buck Creek Road in Allen County, prompting an investigation by KSP’s Critical Incident Response Team.

A news release Sunday from KSP does not name Harper or Rollenhagen, but does say that a Simpson County Sheriff’s Office deputy was taken to a hospital for life-threatening injuries and was in stable condition, and that a man was pronounced dead at the scene.

Prior to joining the sheriff’s office in Simpson County, Harper was a member of Kentucky State Police for several years, working as a detective for KSP’s Drug Enforcement/Special Investigations West office.

An Alvaton resident, Harper was named Detective of the Year for the DESI West branch in 2016.

He has also been a previous chief for the Alvaton Volunteer Fire Department.