Two police officers were shot and killed in a northern Utah city, and a man was arrested, authorities said Monday. The shooting also injured a third officer, according to reports. No civilians were injured.
Late Sunday, officers responded to a domestic disturbance call in a Tremonton neighborhood.
The wounded officer, a sheriff’s deputy, was released from the hospital on Monday, and a police dog that was shot while riding in the same car as the deputy was hospitalized in fair condition, according to police.
The officers killed were Sgt. Lee Sorensen and Officer Eric Estrada of the Tremonton Garland Police Department. The wounded deputy’s name has not been released.
“These officers are definitely heroes,” Police Chief Chad Reyes of neighboring Brigham City said at a news conference Monday morning.
“We really don’t know what we’re walking into,” he said about domestic disturbance calls. “And they are one of the most dangerous events that we can be dispatched on.”
Police reported receiving multiple 911 hang-up calls from a city home. A single officer from the Tremonton-Garland Police Department arrived first and was speaking with someone inside the house when a man emerged with a gun, according to a news release.
Reyes said he believed the man lived in the house.
“The male opened fire on the officer, striking and killing the officer,” the news release stated. A second officer from the department who responded “was immediately fired upon by the same male suspect” and killed, according to police.
“Upon arrival, they immediately began taking fire,” Brigham City Police Detective Crystal Beck told reporters. “They requested more units. And then they stopped answering the radio.
After the officers were shot, bystanders convinced the suspect to drop his weapon, according to police. SWAT teams responded to clear the house and ensure there was no further threat, according to police.
Beck stated that when additional officers arrived, “they were able to locate the subject of the shooting and take him into custody.” He was being held at the Box Elder County Jail, according to the detective.
The man was arrested on charges of aggravated murder, according to a news release. His name was not immediately released.
“I think it leaves a big impact when any officer is involved in something like this,” Beck told reporters. “It affects not only the officers here in our community but also all over Utah, all over the nation.”
Utah Governor Spencer Cox described what happened as “a terrible and tragic night.” He posted online that he, too, mourned the loss “of these courageous law enforcement officers.”
Tremonton, which has a population of around 13,000 people, is located approximately 75 miles north of Salt Lake City.
