A suspect is in custody after two police officers were killed, and a third was injured with his service dog while answering a call to a domestic disturbance Sunday night in a northern city in Utah. No civilians were harmed in the shooting.
Brigham City Police Chief Chad Reyes said at a news conference Monday that the officers were responding to a domestic disturbance call late Sunday in a neighborhood in Tremonton, about 70 miles north of Salt Lake City. Reyes said: “These officers are definitely heroes. We really don’t know what we’re walking into, and they are one of the most dangerous events that we can be dispatched on.” The wounded officer, a sheriff’s deputy, and a police dog who also responded were hospitalized for their injuries.
Police said the officers went to the home after several 911 hang-up calls were made from the home to the Box Elder County Communications Center. A single officer from the Tremonton-Garland Police Department arrived first and was speaking to one of the occupants of the home, who reported a domestic disturbance, when a man came out with a gun. A news release stated that “the male opened fire on the officer, striking and killing the officer.” A second officer from the department who responded “was immediately fired upon by the same male suspect” and was killed, it further read.
Bystanders persuaded the suspect to put down his weapon after the officers were shot, with SWAT teams responding to clear the home and verify that there was no further threat. Once additional police arrived, “they were able to locate the subject of the shooting and take him into custody.” The suspect was arrested on charges of aggravated murder, police said in a news release, and is being held at the Box Elder County Jail.
Police Chief Reyes said the wounded deputy was treated at a hospital and released, and the officer’s service dog was taken to a veterinary clinic and was listed in good condition.
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