Assault charge filed in Martin County shooting

By Lilly Adkins

BSN Associate Editor

LOVELY — A Martin County man was arrested after he shot another man in the leg at a memorial service in Lovely on Aug. 16, police said.

Kenneth Makay Mollette, 30, of Beauty, is charged with first-degree assault.

According to the arrest report, Kentucky State Police Post 9 received a complaint at approximately 6:11 p.m. on Aug. 16 of a shooting in the Lovely area of Martin County.

The initial call indicated that Kenneth Mollette had shot Jason Fields, 37, at a location on 4955 on Ky. 292 in Lovely. Kentucky State Police Trooper Ryan Hale arrived on scene at 6:26 p.m., at which time Mollette surrendered by placing his hands in the air, the report said.

Hale detained Mollette and located a Hi-Point C-9 9mm handgun on the porch near Mollette, the report said.

Multiple witnesses stated that Mollette and Fields were at the residence with the other witnesses for a memorial service, the report said.

The witnesses said that at one point, Mollette had entered the residence and when he returned, he brandished a firearm towards Fields. He then fired multiple times at Fields and continued firing as Fields attempted to flee, according to the report.

One of the shots struck Fields in his right leg, the report said.

Mollette said that he had been protecting himself during the incident, that Fields had a 4’ piece of iron, and that he believed Fields was going to attack him, the report said.

Mollette also said that Fields was approximately 30-35’ away from him when he pulled the firearm and that Fields had dropped the piece of iron and tried to flee, which is when he opened fire on him, the report said.

Mollette told Hale that he fired between four and eight rounds, the report said.

None of the witnesses reported seeing Fields armed with a piece of metal or indicated he had threatened to harm Mollette, the report said. Fields had left prior to the officer’s arrival, going to ARH Tug Valley to seek medical treatment for a gunshot wound to his upper right leg, the report said. He was transported to Pikeville Medical Center for further treatment.

A canvas of the neighborhood revealed surveillance video of the incident captured by a neighbor’s cameras, the report said. From the initial observation of the video, it appears that Mollette pulled a firearm and advanced toward Fields before firing, the report said. The video also depicts Mollette firing at Fields as he attempted to flee, according to the report.

The firearm used in the incident and a copy of the surveillance video were collected for evidence, the report said. Recorded interviews of witnesses and the alleged perpetrator were conducted by Hale. The victim interview was completed by KSP Trooper Chase Maynard, and the officers also took photos of the scene.

The incident remains under investigation by Hale.