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Man is sentenced for shooting at NKY deputy

Posted at 6:47 PM, Feb 25, 2016
and last updated 2016-02-25 18:47:26-05

WILLIAMSTOWN, Ky. -- A man accused of using a rifle to shoot at a Grant County deputy was sentenced Wednesday to 15 years in prison.

As part of a plea deal, Shane Propes was convicted in January of first-degree burglary, theft of a firearm, attempted murder of a police officer and wanton endangerment.

Deputy Tony Stigers responded to reports of a suspicious person at the Indian Hill Estates trailer park in Crittenden on June 15, 2015.

"When I exited my vehicle," Stigers told WCPO in August, "he slung his bag around and started to unzip. That’s when I noticed he pulled out what appeared to be an AR-rifle."

Then, Stigers said, Propes opened fire. Stigers took cover behind is cruiser, and returned fire.

"I thought I grazed him under the chin, but I couldn’t be sure," he recalled.

It wasn’t long, Stigers said, before a Kentucky State Police officer arrived to provide assistance.

"As we’re getting shot at, people were screaming. It was chaos," Stigers said.

The ensuing gun battle lasted about six minutes, Stigers said. Once everyone had taken cover inside, Propes hunkered down behind a car, leaving his leg exposed.

"He pointed the weapon directly at me," Stigers said. "I took three shots."

Propes' grandfather, James Benton, said Propes had ransacked his home and took at least three of his guns earlier that evening, including an assault-style weapon.

Friends said Propes was depressed and had talked about killing himself before the shooting.

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WCPO's Tony Mirones contributed to this report.