3 police dead in Kentucky shooting serving domestic violence warrant
Officers confronted "absolute hell" at the location, according to the sheriff, before the suspect was apprehended following an hours-long standoff.
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Three police dead in Kentucky while serving domestic violence warrant.
Authorities reported that a man armed with a rifle opened fire on cops attempting to serve a warrant in eastern Kentucky, killing three and injuring five.
After an hours-long standoff at a residence in Allen, a small hamlet in Appalachia's hills, police reported they had taken 49-year-old Lance Storz into custody late Thursday night.
According to the arrest citation, an emergency management official was also hurt, and a police dog was killed.
The responding officers encountered “pure hell” when they arrived on the scene, Floyd county’s sheriff, John Hunt, told reporters on Friday. “They had no chance,” he said.
A 49-year-old man is in custody after he allegedly gunned down two police officers and wounded several others in a mass shooting at his Kentucky home. https://t.co/fnDVxkvNmC
— ABC News (@ABC) July 1, 2022
Hunt reported that after being fired at, four deputies responded before asking for help. According to the sheriff, a suspect surrendered after speaking with members of his family. Hunt informed local reporters Thursday evening that deputies were serving a court-issued warrant related to a domestic violence case.
According to Hunt, one of his deputies, William Petry, and Prestonsburg police captain Ralph Frasure were killed in the event. Frasure was a Floyd County police officer for 39 years. According to a police department social media post on Friday night, another Prestonsburg officer, Jacob Chaffins, died after being hospitalized.
2 officers and K9 killed, other offices injured in Eastern
— On Patrol K9 (@OnPatrolK9) July 1, 2022
Kentucky shooting
😢RIP Captain Ralph Frasure, Prestonsburg PD
Deputy William Petry and K9 Drago, Floyd Co Sheriff🇺🇸💙https://t.co/Zw7YUI1pvC#BackTheBlue #ThinBlueLine #dog #K9 #police #WaronDrugs #OPLive #OnPatrolLive pic.twitter.com/qhYN61Qx91
Storz was arraigned by a court in Pike County on Friday morning. He pled not guilty to two charges of murdering a police officer and was sentenced to life in prison on a $10 million bond.
One of the accusations was the attempted murder of a police officer, but a judge said during the hearing that it was increased to murder. He is also charged with attempted murder and assault on a service animal. State police had said in a brief statement that they were investigating an officer-involved shooting.
We are closely monitoring the shooting of multiple police officers in Floyd County, #Kentucky. Here’s what we know now:
— Kayla Moody (@KaylaMoody) July 1, 2022
-2 officers dead
-1 K9 officer dead
-5 officers injured
-EMA director injured
-Suspect, Lance Storz of Allen, is in custody @SpectrumNews1KY #ThinBlueLine pic.twitter.com/y1RadQuBWF
“This is a tough 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 want to ask all of Kentucky to join me in praying for this community.”
Today we're facing some tragic news. Last night we lost two brave first responders and a K-9 in Floyd County. Britainy and I are praying for the families of those lost, those injured and the entire Allen community. These heroes sacrificed everything to protect our people. ^AB
— Governor Andy Beshear (@GovAndyBeshear) July 1, 2022
Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron offered his condolences for the officers' deaths on social media. “Our law enforcement exhibited unimaginable heroism and sacrifice last night in the face of evil,” he said.
