Christian Circuit Judge John Atkins stuck with the jury’s recommendation and sentenced 30-year old Keith Kuzyk of Clarksville to life in prison for being a persistent felony offender and for attempted murder in the 2019 shooting of Hopkinsville police officer Jeremy Davidson.
Kuzyk shot Davidson on the arm and head after a car-jacking at the Walmart Supercenter and at the end of a vehicle pursuit that concluded on North Drive near Sanderson Drive. Davidson was treated at Skyline Medical Center and has since returned to the job.
Kuzyk spoke briefly during formal sentencing Wednesday, telling Circuit Judge John Atkins he had been praying for Davidson.
Judge Atkins ultimately stuck with the jury’s recommendation and sentenced him to life with the possibility of parole.
Kuzyk had already pled guilty last year in U.S. District Court to carjacking, use and discharge of a firearm during a crime of violence, and being a felon in possession of a firearm in connection with the incident. That plea deal came with an 18-year prison sentence.