NEED TO KNOW
- Sergeant Lee Sorensen and Officer Eric Estrada were fatally shot when they both separately responded to what was determined later to be a domestic violence call
- Authorities arrested a suspect from the scene
- The first officer was shot as he spoke to another person in the residence, who was reporting an apparent domestic disturbance incident to him
Two officers responding to what was determined later to be a domestic violence call in Utah were fatally shot over the weekend.
A man was taken into custody over the Sunday, Aug. 17, incident, Brigham City Police Department said in their statement.
Sergeant Lee Sorensen and Officer Eric Estrada have since been identified as the slain officers, the Tremonton Garland Police Department announced.
Police have not named the suspect as of publishing time, but he was identified by FOX 13, KJZZ and KUTV as Ryan Michael Bate.
The killings unfolded after police in Tremonton, Utah, received “multiple 911 hangup calls,” and a single officer from the Tremonton Garland Police Department responded to the residence.
It wasn’t immediately clear whether the first officer to respond was Sergeant Sorensen or Officer Estrada.
The responding officer was speaking with a resident who was reporting an apparent domestic disturbance when the suspect came out of the home and shot him, per the statement.
Police Chief Chad Reyes, of neighboring Brigham City, said the alleged shooter is believed to be a resident of the house, according to the Associated Press.
A second officer with the Tremonton Garland Police Department responded to the scene, and upon arriving was “immediately fired upon by the same male suspect,” according to the statement. It wasn’t immediately clear how long after the previous officer the second victim arrived and was shot.
A deputy from the Box Elder County Sheriff’s Office had also been dispatched to assist and was shot when the suspect fired several rounds into his vehicle, striking both him and his police service dog. Both the deputy and the dog were taken to the hospital and are recovering in “fair condition.”
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Bystanders eventually convinced the suspect to surrender his weapon, and he was taken into custody by additional responding officers.
He has been charged with capital aggravated murder, first-degree felony attempted aggravated murder and misdemeanor assault, KSLTV, KUTV and FOX 13 reported, citing an affidavit and booking records. Plea and attorney information for Bate were not immediately available.
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