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Law Enforcement Continue Search For "Armed And Dangerous" Fugitive In Northwest TN

UPDATE: The search for an armed and dangerous fugitive in northwest Tennessee continues for the tenth straight day.

Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office Public Information Officer Sandra Brandon said the agency received two calls Tuesday night about suspicious activity near Poplar Springs Road east of Indian Mound. She said one caller reported a man with a gun attempting to enter his porch before running off into the woods.

Brandon said police have created a new perimeter around where that activity was reported. She said previous perimeters are still in place as law enforcement continue their search.

10/2: Some communities in Northwest Tennessee remain on alert as multiple law enforcement agencies continue to search for an armed and dangerous fugitive.

Police are searching for Kirby Gene Wallace after a recent string of violent crimes including murder and kidnapping. The search is concentrated in west Montgomery County and east Stewart County.

Police have created a safety perimeter and blocked several intersections in an area southeast of Indian Mound just north of the Cumberland River. Law enforcement is escorting people coming in and out of that area. 

The road closure at the intersection of Lylewood Road and York Landing has been moved to Lylewood Road and Reed Road. The newly opened area has been cleared, however, if anyone who lives in that area would like an escort to return home, they can contact law enforcement located at the intersection of Lylewood Road and Reed Road.

Montgomery County Schools Representative Elise Shelton said bus routes have not been running in that area. Woodlawn Elementary and Liberty Elementary schools remain on lockdown. All Stewart County schools are on 'soft lockdown,' where students stay in the building and extra precautions are taken, but classes are going on as regularly scheduled. 

10/1: Local law enforcement agencies in northwest Tennessee are searching for a fugitive who they believe shot and killed a Montgomery County man on Monday.

Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office Public Information Officer Sandra Brandon said police believe 53-year-old Kirby Gene Wallace to be armed and dangerous. She said police received a 911 call early Monday morning after the caller saw a man he believed to be Wallace leaving a residence on Walker Road. Brandon said the caller told police Wallace was dressed in camouflage and carrying a firearm when he left the residence in a vehicle. She said deputies found a man who had been shot dead at the residence when they arrived on scene.

Brandon said the vehicle Wallace used to flee was found empty near Cumberland City Road. She said police are continuing to search that area.

Police closed the following intersections around the search area: Cumberland City Rd at Lylewood Rd, Cumberland City Rd at Poplar Springs Rd, Cumberland City Rd at Seven Mile Ridge Rd, Cumberland City at Glenn Holliday Rd, Cumberland City and Hayes Ridge Rd, Wildcat Creek Rd at Hwy 46, and Lylewood Rd at York Landing.

Credit Montgomery County Sheriff's Office
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Montgomery County Sheriff's Office

Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office said on Facebook that no one will be allowed past these intersections. They are asking residents in the search area to stay indoors, lock all doors and windows and report any suspicious activity.

Sheriff John Fuson said several areas in west Montgomery County and east Stewart County are on lockdown. He said Wallace has displayed dangerous behavior in the past.

“He knows he’s got this area here surrounded and it’s going to be difficult for him to get out. So I’d say that he’d do just about anything to get out of this area,” Fuson said.  

Fuson said the area where law enforcement is searching for Wallace is extremely rural. He urged people to not attempt to interact with the fugitive.

Wallace is on the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation’s Top Ten Most Wanted Listfor several charges in Stewart and Montgomery Counties. Police have been looking for Wallace since an incident on September 23rd. Stewart County Sheriff’s Office said on FacebookWallace allegedly killed an Indian Mound resident and injured another after setting fire to their home. According to the TBI, Wallace is wanted in Stewart County on one count of first-degree murder, one count of felony murder, one count of attempted murder, one count of aggravated arson, two counts of especially aggravated kidnapping, two counts of especially aggravated robbery, and one count of especially aggravated burglary.

A few days later in Montgomery County, Wallace allegedly stopped an elderly woman in her car and forced her into her home at knifepoint. Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office said Wallace threatened the woman and several others before tying her to her bed and fleeing in her vehicle.  According to the TBI, Wallace is wanted in Montgomery County for one count of especially aggravated kidnapping, one count of aggravated burglary, and one count of theft of property.

Wallace is 5 feet 10 inches tall and weighs 157 pounds. He is a white male with gray hair, hazel eyes and possible facial hair.

This story has been updated. 

Taylor is a recent Murray State University graduate where she studied journalism and history. When she's not reporting for WKMS, she enjoys creative writing and traveling. She loves writing stories that involve diversity, local culture and history, nature and recreation, art and music, and national or local politics. If you have a news tip or idea, shoot her an email at tinman1@murraystate.edu!
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