Funeral Arrangements Announced For Officer Shot To Death In Hopkinsville

HOPKINSVILLE, KY — Funeral arrangements have been announced for the Hopkinsville police officer who was shot to death Thursday night.

Officer Philip Meacham died 5:51 p.m. Thursday at Jennie Stuart Medical Center in Hopkinsville from a gunshot wound.

Meacham will be laid to rest next week. Visitation is set from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday at Christian County High School. The funeral will begin at 11 a.m. Wednesday, also at the school. After the funeral, burial will follow at New Ebenezer Baptist Church Cemetery.

The 38-year-old officer is survived by his wife and a daughter, as well as his parents.

Local 6 is also learning more Friday about the man police say shot Meacham to death. James Decoursey was wanted before the shooting happened. State records show Decoursey escaped from a halfway house in Louisville on Feb. 5. Kentucky State Police issued an arrest warrant the next day.

Decoursey was serving time in Louisville for 2016 drug convictions, but his criminal history dates back to 2002. His previous charges also include burglary and fraud.

After the shooting Thursday night, a manhunt began for him involving multiple local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies. In the overnight hours, Kentucky State Police say, Decoursey was found in Clarksville, Tennessee, where he had a “brief encounter with law enforcement.” He was shot, and died from his injuries.