2 police officers killed in Kentucky by suspect

ALLEN, Ky. — Two law enforcement officers were killed and five were injured when a man opened fire on police attempting to serve a warrant Thursday night at a home in eastern Kentucky, authorities said.

Police took 49-year-old Lance Storz into custody late Thursday night.

An emergency management official was also injured and a police K-9 dog was killed, according to the arrest citation.

The responding officers encountered “pure hell” when they arrived on the scene, Floyd County Sheriff John Hunt told reporters Friday afternoon.

“They had no chance,” he said.

Hunt said four deputies initially responded, and then called for backup when shots were fired at them. The officers at the scene were under fire for hours, Hunt said. He said Storz surrendered after negotiations that included Storz’s family members.

Storz was arraigned Friday morning by a judge in Pike County. He pleaded not guilty to two counts of murder of a police officer and was jailed on a $10 million bond. One of the charges was originally attempted murder of a police officer, but a judge said at the hearing that was upgraded to murder. He is also facing another attempted murder charge and assault on a service animal.

Hunt said one of his deputies, William Petry, and Prestonsburg Police Capt. Ralph Frasure were killed in the shooting incident. Frasure worked for 39 years in law enforcement in Floyd County. Another Prestonsburg officer, Jacob Chaffins, is currently hospitalized, Prestonsburg Mayor Les Stapleton said in a social media post.

Attorney General Daniel Cameron said in a social media post Friday that he is “heartbroken to learn of the deaths of two law enforcement officers” during the shooting in Floyd County.