Man arrested in Eastern Kentucky fatal shooting says victim held him hostage, reports say

A 19 year old was shot and killed in Whitesburg Saturday morning, multiple news outlets in the region have reported.

Nolan Naegele was allegedly shot by his passenger while the vehicle Naegele was driving was being pursued by police, the Mountain Eagle reported Saturday, citing the arrest citation. After Naegele was fatally shot once in the shoulder, the truck struck a guardrail along Kentucky Route 15.

Ethan Brown, also 19, was in the vehicle with Naegele and was charged with murder in connection to the incident. According to online court records, Brown was arrested at the scene and housed at the Letcher County Jail without bail. He was scheduled to be arraigned Monday morning in Letcher District Court.

Prior to the shooting, Brown called his mother and said he was being held hostage and needed $2,500, Tyrone Fields, the Whitesburg police chief, told WYMT. Brown’s mother contacted police. An officer on patrol noticed the vehicle Naegele was driving and attempted to stop it. Fields said that’s when Brown allegedly shot Naegele.

Brown surrendered immediately after the vehicle came to a rest, Fields said.

The arrest citation stated that Brown and Naegele had been using meth together for three days, the Mountain Eagle reported. During that time, Naegele had held Brown hostage and had fired shots at him from a handgun, Brown told police. He said he owed Naegele $2,500.

Naegele was transported to a Appalachian Regional Healthcare facility where he was pronounced dead, WYMT reported.

This is a developing story and may be updated.