Three law enforcement officers killed and five injured in the east Kentucky Authorities said when a man armed with a rifle opened fire on police who were trying to execute a wanted warrant.
Police said they arrested 49-year-old Lance Storz on Thursday night after an hour’s standstill at a home in Allen, a small town in the Appalachian hills.
An emergency management official was also injured and a police dog was killed, according to arrest warrants.
Floyd County Sheriff John Hunt told reporters on Friday.
“They didn’t stand a chance,” he said.
Mr Hunt said four deputies initially responded, then called for help when they were shot. The sheriff said one suspect surrendered after negotiations involving members of his family. Hunt told local media that deputies were serving a court order issued Thursday night regarding domestic violence.
Hunt said one of his deputies, William Petry, and Prestonsburg police captain Ralph Frasure were killed in the shooting. Frasure has worked for 39 years in law enforcement in Floyd County. Another Prestonsburg officer, Jacob Chaffins, died after being hospitalized, the police department said in a social media post Friday night.
Storz was arranged Friday morning by a judge in Pike County. He pleaded not guilty to two counts of killing a police officer and was jailed for a $10 million fine. One of the initial charges was attempting to kill a police officer, but a judge said at the hearing that was upgraded to murder. He is also facing one charge of willful murder and assaulting a service animal.
A few more details are available on Friday. State police said in a brief statement that they were investigating a shooting that involved an officer.
“This has been a rough morning for our commonwealth,” the governor, Andy Beshear, said in a social media post on Friday morning. “ Floyd County and our brave first responders suffered a tragic loss last night. I would like to call on all of Kentucky to join me in praying for this community.”
Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron posted on social media that he was heartbroken by the news of the officers’ deaths.
“Our law enforcement displayed unthinkable heroism and sacrifice last night in the face of evil,” he said.