A man killed two law enforcement officers and injured several others in Kentucky during a shootout that lasted for hours, officials said.
The Floyd County Sheriff’s Department identified the two officers killed were Capt. Ralph Frasure with the Prestonburg Police Department and Floyd County Deputy William Petry.
Officials identified the shooter as 49-year-old Lance Storz. He was taken into custody, and his bond was set at $10 million in a court appearance Friday.
An arrest citation from Kentucky State Police said eight people were shot in the attack Thursday night. Floyd County Sheriff John Hunt said Friday it appeared the shooter was waiting for law enforcement and opened fire on them when they arrived.
“This guy seemed to (have a) plan, and he executed that plan almost to precision,” he said.
The sheriff said it went on “for hours,” and responders were not sure initially where the gunfire was coming from.
A police K-9 was fatally shot as well. Kentucky State Police said in a news release Friday that four other law enforcement officers were injured with three still hospitalized. One of the officers is in critical condition, two officers are in stable condition and one officer was treated and released.
Additionally, one civilian was injured and receiving medical care at a hospital, state police said. It was reported earlier that the civilian was a county emergency service director who responded and was shot.
The officials said the shooter was alone in the home. Authorities responded to the house for a domestic situation, but Storz’ wife and child were in a safe location before the shooting started and have since been taken to a domestic violence shelter, said Floyd County Attorney Keith Bartley.
Bartley said there was no doubt multiple weapons were used and “lots of ammunition,” describing the scene as a war zone. He said one officer is being treated for carbon monoxide poisoning as he had to stay under a car for hours to avoid being shot.
“There is no question this was a mass shooting,” Bartley said. “When I say it was a war zone when I pulled into this area, you are talking about people in fatigues, people with body armor, people with night vison, people with assault weapons – if that’s not a war zone, I don’t know what is.”
Hunt said the suspect was in custody as of 10 p.m. Thursday. Deputies were attempting to serve a court-issued warrant in a domestic violence situation when the incident started earlier in the evening.
A preliminary hearing for Storz was scheduled for Monday.
Multiple agencies responded to a shootout between law enforcement officials and a man in Allen, Kentucky, on Thursday.
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