PHOTOS-6 Police Officers Shot While Serving Warrant
 

6 police officers shot while serving warrant in Utah, 1 dies

By Lateef Mungin, CNN
Updated 8:28 AM EST, Thu January 5, 2012

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Ogden, Utah, police officers were shot while trying to serve a search warrant.


(CNN) -- Six police officers were shot and one was killed while serving a search warrant in Ogden, Utah, police said.

All six were rushed to hospitals after the shooting, said Ogden Assistant Police Chief Marcy Korgenski. The suspect in the case also was wounded and taken to a hospital. Ogden city officer Jared Francom died from his wounds, Ogden police said early Thursday.

"Agent Francom has served the citizens of Ogden city with honor for seven years," authorities said in a statement Thursday. "He is survived by his wife and two young children."

The remaining five officers remained hospitalized with injuries ranging from serious to critical, police said. The suspect sustained injuries not considered life-threatening.

The officers, who were part of a narcotics task force, were attempting to serve a search warrant at an Ogden address Wednesday night, according to the statement.

Ogden is about 40 miles north of Salt Lake City in northern Utah. Clayton Payne, a resident of the neighborhood where the shootings took place, told CNN affiliate KSL, "I was sitting in the front room watching TV, heard three pops. My fiance asked if they were fireworks. I said, 'No, those are gunshots.'"

He said he ran outside after hearing what sounded like an AK-47. "I ran out here to see what was going on and I was escorted back to my house by the cops," he said. "They said, 'Get in your house. Get down.'"

The shootings follow a year in which U.S. cities saw an increase in officers killed. The number of officers who died in the line of duty in 2011 increased 16% nationwide from last year, according to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund.

Last year, 177 officers were killed, compared to 153 in 2010, the organization said.

re: PHOTOS-6 Police Officers Shot While Serving Warrant
 

Just terrible, all just to serve a warrant

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The policemen were part of the Weber-Morgan Narcotics Strike Force, police say


Police now say the alleged gunman is Matthew David Stewart. He remains in stable condition and under guard at a local hospital. Tarwater said Stewart has a limited criminal history.

Witness Accounts

Police said Thursday morning that officers were serving a "knock and announce" search warrant at the residence, based on probable cause of drug activity. Officers knocked, got no response, forced their way into the home and at some point were fired upon. They declined to give further details.

Another neighbor, Janessa Vanderstappen, said, "We came running outside to see what was going on. Officers told us to go back in our house."
Vanderstappen said she went back inside, and minutes later heard yelling coming from the backyard. She said she walked onto the back porch to see officers addressing a person hiding in a nearby shed.
"There's cops telling him to 'put your hands up, put your hands up,'" she said.

Both the suspect and the six officers were shot and taken to local hospitals.

Officers were prepared

A woman who claims she is a family member of the fallen officer told KSL's Doug Wright Thursday morning that task force members were highly-trained for such situations. She said the family was told Wednesday night that the suspect may be former military and was armed with an automatic weapon and a handgun.
She also said the family was told Officer Francom was in the front position in the backyard during the standoff Wednesday night.
The Ogden Police Department did not confirm the details the woman offered.

ABC News Crime and Terrorism Consultant Brad Garrett told KSL Newsradio it's always a risk when officers move in to serve a warrant. "Even the best-laid plans can go awry. I don't know what their plans were, but this clearly went so sideways," he said.
Darin Parke, commander of the Weber-Morgan task force, said it's common to send up to 12 officers to serve a search warrant. It's also standard procedure for task force members to wear protective vests in such situations.
Tarwater said as far as he knows, the officers who were shot were wearing vests.

Hospital responds to emergency

When McKay-Dee Hospital in Ogden learned that four of the injured officers were being rushed there Wednesday night, doctors and nurses were immediately called in from home to help.
Hospital spokesman Chris Dallin said, "Whenever there is a big lump of patients, we have a protocol as an emergency department to respond to that."
After the injured officers arrived, more Ogden police officers began showing up at the hospital. In fact, law enforcement from several jurisdictions came to the emergency room to show their support for the wounded officers. They, too, had to wait, as hospital officials are not giving any specific information about the injuries or conditions.

It's scary. This is a quiet neighborhood.
"I can confirm we have four patients, victims from a shooting in downtown Ogden," Dallin said. "All four of the victims are police officers."
McKay-Dee is a level two trauma center, meaning a wide range of specialist is available around the clock. Still, four patients being treated for gunshot wounds at the same time is a challenge for any hospital.
"We have a great team of folks," Dallin said. "We understand they are doing a great job with the patients."

Two other officers were taken to Ogden Regional Medical Center. One of them was in stable condition and doing well Wednesday night. The other was in critical condition.
ksl.com


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Officer Jared Francom

RIP Jared


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