BY RACHEL DOVE
MOUNTAIN CITIZEN

LOVELY — What began as a memorial service ended in a shooting when a Martin County man fired multiple shots at his wife’s ex-husband, hitting him once in the right leg, Aug. 16 in Lovely.

Kentucky State Police Trooper Ryan Hale responded to a residence on Riverfront Road at approximately 6:10 p.m. to investigate an alleged shooting. While en route, Hale was advised that Kenneth Mollette, 30, who resided at the location, had shot Jason Fields, 37, of Lovely.

The officer said Mollette immediately surrendered to him by placing his hands in the air.

After detaining Mollette, Hale located a firearm on the porch railing described as a HiPoint C-9 9mm handgun.

According to multiple witnesses, including Mollette’s wife, the family had gathered to mourn the loss of an unborn child. The Mollettes had picked Fields up at a location on Old Route 3 and brought him to the residence in Lovely to attend the service.

Mollette’s wife and Fields’ ex-wife, Alisha Mollette, said Mollette entered the residence and returned, brandished a firearm in the direction of her ex-husband, and began firing.

As Fields ran from the yard, Alisha Mollette said she grabbed her husband’s arm and shirt to try to gain control of the gun. She said that caused Mollette to fire erratically and prevented Fields from being shot more than once.

According to Alisha Mollette, Fields ran along the roadway away from the residence and his teenage son ran after him.

A relative picked Fields up and transported him to the Tug Valley ARH, where an ambulance transferred him to the Pikeville Medical Center.

When questioned, Mollette told the trooper that he had acted in self-defense and protected himself during the incident. He claimed that Fields had in his hands an approximate 4-foot-long piece of iron that he believed Fields was going to be used to attack him.

Mollette said Fields was around 30-35 feet away from him when he raised the firearm in his direction. The shooter admitted to firing 4-8 rounds at Fields.

Troopers Chase Maynard and Ryan Smith conducted witness interviews and photographed the scene. During the interview, none of the witnesses reported seeing Fields with anything in his hands that could have been viewed as a weapon, especially something as large as what Mollette described. They also claimed that Fields had not threatened Mollette in any way.

A neighbor’s surveillance video captured Mollette pulling a firearm, advancing toward Fields, and firing as Fields attempted to flee.

Mollette was arrested for first-degree assault. He remains lodged in the Big Sandy Regional Detention Center.

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