The Russell County Sheriff says a bullet-proof vest saved a deputy's life when someone inside a vehicle started shooting at him Wednesday morning.
It happened during a routine traffic stop on Highway 1730, near U.S. 127 in Russell County, around 3:30 a.m. Central time. That's near Lake Cumberland, in the Wolf Creek Dam area.
Kentucky State Police say 35-year-old Deputy Sheriff Cary York stopped a dark colored car with tinted windows and no visible license plate.
As Deputy York approached the car, police say someone inside started shooting at him.
Police say York retreated to the back of his vehicle and returned fire. That vehicle, believed to be a 2000-2005 black Ford Taurus, then sped off.
Police say York sustained multiple gunshot wounds to the ballistic vest he was wearing. He was transported to Russell County Hospital where he was treated and released.
Without the vest, Russell County's sheriff says the shooting would have had a tragic ending.
"That is the reason he got to go home," Russell County Sheriff Larry Bennett said. "He had his bullet proof vest on."
Police say he didn't suffer any injuries from the gunshots. York has been with the Russell County Sheriff's Department since August, 2006.
He's now home resting with his family.