Man held in 3 officers’ deaths found dead

A Kentucky man charged in the deaths of three law enforcement officers during an ambush in a small Appalachian town has been found dead in his jail cell.

Lance Storz, 50, was found dead of an apparent suicide Tuesday morning at the Pike County Detention Center, where he was being held on three murder charges, Floyd County Sheriff John Hunt said Tuesday.

The sheriff ’s office said Storz opened fire on officers with a high-powered rifle on June 30 when they arrived at his home to serve a protective order. Hunt described the scene as a “war zone” during an hours-long standoff before Storz surrendered.

The shooting was one of the deadliest for law enforcement officers in Kentucky’s history. Officials said it was the most law enforcement deaths in a single incident since a 1923 prison riot left three officers dead.

Hunt said police in Pike County are investigating Storz’s cause of death.