Wayne Thomas ’Cotton’ Morgan, 56, a Roane County correctional officer and 28-year veteran of the Tennessee Department of Corrections, was shot and killed on August 9, 2005, outside the Roane County Courthouse in Kingston. A Vietnam War veteran and Purple Heart recipient, Morgan was described as a Sunday school teacher, choir member and family man. He and a partner were loading prisoners into a transport van when Jennifer Hyatte, the wife of inmate George Hyatte, opened fire with a 9mm handgun, striking Morgan in the stomach; his partner was wounded but returned fire. Morgan was airlifted to a hospital and later died of his injuries.

George Hyatte, characterized as a career criminal with a history of escapes, fled with his wife after the ambush. A manhunt ended when the couple was located in a Columbus, Ohio motel and arrested about 36 hours later; Jennifer Hyatte suffered a leg wound during the initial exchange. Reports state George Hyatte allegedly yelled an order that led Jennifer to fire on the officers. Both Jennifer and George Hyatte were later convicted of first-degree murder and received life sentences without parole; Jennifer pleaded guilty and agreed to testify against her husband as part of her plea.

Does anyone have further details about Wayne Morgan’s service in Roane County or about eyewitness accounts from that day?