Hunt for pair after officer killed by woman

IN the massive manhunt for an escaped convicted robber and his gun-toting wife, Tennessee police say they have leads that family members might be hiding the pair.

The dragnet for the couple has closed area schools and kept hospitals on the lookout for George Hyatte and his possibly injured wife, Jennifer, who authorities said gunned down a guard to help her husband escape outside a courthouse.

Early on Tuesday, George Hyatte, in handcuffs and shackles, was being loaded into a van that would take him back to prison after a court appearance when Jennifer Hyatte pulled up in a 4x4 and opened fire at the two corrections officers escorting her husband, Kingston Police Chief Jim Washam said.

One guard, Wayne “Cotton” Morgan, was mortally wounded - he died two hours later at a hospital.

The Ford Explorer driven by Jennifer Hyatte was later found abandoned with blood on the driver’s side, and police think she may have been wounded by a shot fired by the other officer during the attack, Mr Washam said.

George Hyatte, 34, was two years into a 35-year sentence on robbery and assault charges as he escaped.

He was at the court to plead guilty in a deal with prosecutors over an armed robbery charge.

While investigators follow leads on the whereabouts of the dangerous pair, George Hyatte’s mother and brother both appeared on television urging him to surrender.