'It was a bad turn': Community, police shocked by Adair County triple homicide

UPDATE: April 21 at 6 p.m.

A triple murder and police standoff in Adair County left three people dead, including a Marine Corps veteran, before the suspect was shot by state police.

Investigators said 38-year-old Ryan Sneed shot and killed his mother, 67-year-old Joyce Sneed; his aunt, 63-year-old Debra Clark; and 37-year-old Michael Curry.

On Monday morning, Adair County deputies were called to a home on Chestnut Grove Road after a 911 call from Adriane Curry, who said her brother had been shot.

When deputies arrived, they came face to face with Ryan Sneed, who immediately opened fire. One deputy's car was riddled with bullet holes as she worked to get a civilian on the scene to safety.

"I have to say, when she started taking that fire, she did exactly what she's supposed to do. She handled the situation, she handled herself really well. There was a civilian on the scene in the yard, and she was actually able to, while taking the gunfire, she was able to get the civilian to have cover also," Sheriff Roy said.

The standoff continued for hours as surrounding agencies and Kentucky State Police joined the response. While negotiators tried to talk Ryan Sneed down, police discovered Joyce Sneed and Clark dead in homes 35 minutes away.

"He wanted to talk for a while, but we never could get him to surrender," Roy said.

After little progress in negotiations, state police said Ryan Sneed was shot while attempting to leave the home.

Court records show Ryan Sneed had a lengthy history with police, with pending charges for terroristic threatening, fleeing or evading, and drug offenses scheduled for arraignment on April 28.

"I can't really say it was a surprise. He's never been too violent like that in the past, he's always tried to run off or away from us, but it seems like as time went on and the more we dealt with him, the more it escalated," Roy said.

The triple homicide has come as a shock to the small southern Kentucky community.

"Could we predict this coming? Probably not. But I don't know what happened yesterday but it was a bad turn," Roy said.

"We were talking maybe yesterday or last night, but maybe about 20 years ago or something this bad has happened, maybe longer, I'm not for sure but it's something you don't see very often at a small town like Adair County," Roy said.

UPDATE: April 21 at 10:45 a.m.

Kentucky State Police are investigating the deaths of four people following a series of shootings and an hours-long barricade situation in Adair County on April 20.

The incident began just before 11 a.m. when the Adair County 911 Center dispatched deputies to a disturbance at a home on Chestnut Grove Road. A caller reported his brother, 37-year-old Michael Adam Curry, had been shot at the home.

When law enforcement arrived, the suspect, identified as Ryan Sneed, began firing a weapon, KSP reported. An Adair County deputy and another individual were pinned down by the gunfire for several hours. Ryan Sneed reportedly barricaded himself inside the home and continued to fire at responding officers.

The KSP Special Response Team arrived and successfully rescued the pinned deputy and the other individual.

During the standoff, police learned Ryan Sneed had made threats to kill his family. Detectives conducted welfare checks and found his 67-year-old mother, Joyce Sneed, dead at a home on Lakeview Drive. They also discovered his 63-year-old aunt, Debra Clark, dead at a home on Henson Road. The Adair County Coroner pronounced both women dead at the scenes. Police confirmed all other family members were safe.

Law enforcement attempted to negotiate a peaceful resolution with Ryan Sneed throughout the afternoon. KSP said he periodically fired at officers, who returned fire on several occasions.

Shortly before 7 p.m., Ryan Sneed exited the home armed with a firearm. Members of the KSP Special Response Team discharged their weapons, striking and killing him. The coroner pronounced him dead at the scene. No law enforcement officers were injured.

After the standoff concluded, police entered the Chestnut Grove Road home and found Curry dead inside.

KSP Post 15 is conducting the death investigations for Curry, Joyce Sneed, and Clark. The KSP Critical Incident Response Team is investigating the trooper-involved shooting that resulted in Ryan Sneed's death.

State Rep. Amy Neighbors and Senate Majority Floor Leader Max Wise issued a statement on X:

UPDATE: April 20 at 10:15 p.m.

The suspect wanted in connection to the death of three others and three potentially connected crimes scenes is now dead, according to Laker Country 104.9 WJRS.

"Update on Adair County situation: reports in that the suspect is deceased," the station wrote on social media. "Kentucky State Police now searching the house for explosives. Suspect had reportedly claimed to have explosives earlier in the day."

UPDATE: April 20 at 5:30 p.m.

As a suspect remains barricaded in a home on Chestnut Grove Road, Sheriff Gary Roy confirmed to LEX 18 that three people are confirmed dead across three potentially connected crime scenes across the county.

According to Roy, authorities first responded to the home Monday morning for reports of a shooting with a victim. When they arrived, deputies took on gunfire and the suspect barricaded himself inside. No deputies were injured in the gunfire, and the scene is now secure.

That shooting victim is not confirmed to be inside the residence and has not been located.

Roy told LEX 18 that in addition to the two other potentially connected crime scenes, the suspect in the home also shot down a drone.

Original Story:

One person is dead and a suspect remains barricaded in an Adair County home following a shooting on Monday afternoon.

According to Kentucky State Police, the scene on Chestnut Grove Road remains active and the roadway will be shut down for an unknown amount of time.

We're now working to learn more.

This is a developing story. More information will be added as it becomes available.