Escaped inmate dies in shootout

An inmate who escaped from a hospital, briefly taking a worker hostage and stealing two getaway cars, was cornered hours later in a cemetery by police and killed in a shootout.

Kelvin Poke, 45, overpowered guards at Laurel Regional Hospital and fired several shots before fleeing, authorities said. Once outside, he shot out the window of a car and drove away, dumping the driver, police said.

He was discovered seven hours later about 30 miles away. Officers had tailed a white Ford Explorer with flat tires into a cemetery shortly after 3 p.m. Poke got out of the vehicle and opened fire on police, who then shot back.