After a five-day trial, a Putnam County Jury delivered guilty verdicts against the two men charged with shooting Trooper Adam Cothron on July 19, 2024 during a routine traffic stop on I-40 in Cookeville.
On Friday, March 27, 2026 Timothy Laquan Davis, Jr. was found guilty of: Attempted First Degree Murder of a law enforcement officer, Employing a firearm during the commission of a dangerous felony, Theft of Property over $10,000 in value, and Possession of a firearm by person previously convicted of a violent felony.
Braze Roland Rucker was found guilty of: Attempted First Degree Murder of a law enforcement officer, Facilitation of employing a firearm during the commission of a dangerous felony, Theft of Property over $10,000 in value, and Possession of a firearm by a person previously convicted of a violent felony.
According to District Attorney General Bryant C. Dunaway, when Trooper Cothroan stopped Davis and Rucker, the previously convicted violent felons were in a stolen car and had only been released from prison four months prior. When Trooper Cothron approached the vehicle on the passenger side to introduce himself, Rucker rolled the window down and Davis immediately shot Trooper Cothron leaving him lying on the shoulder of the road as they sped off.
Since the shooting, Trooper Adam Cothran has battled courageously to recover and must still use a wheelchair. DA Dunaway said Trooper Cothran was in court to testify about the events of the traffic stop and faced the men who tried to kill him.
Judge Gary McKenize has scheduled a sentencing hearing for May 15, 2026. The Defendants have been held in the Putnam County Jail since their arrest and remain in custody.
(Photos courtesy DA Dunaway. Pictured, Timothy Laquan Davis, Jr and Braze Roland Rucker)
Trooper Adam Cothran
