LEHI, Utah -- A traffic stop in Lehi turned deadly Monday morning when a female driver opened fire at a police officer.
The shootout occurred around 9 a.m. Monday when a Lehi officer tried to pull over a woman driving a Honda Accord in front of the gas station near 850 East Main Street.
When the officer approached the car, the woman apparently shot at him twice and at least one bullet hit him in the head.
"As the officer was engaged in conversation, the driver of the Accord produced a revolver, shot two times at the officer, striking him in the head," said Sgt. Darren Paul, Lehi Police Department.
Backup officers who arrived shortly thereafter shot and killed the woman. Her identity has not yet been released. She was driving a car with Washington State plates.
The name of the police officer who was shot has also not been released but he is said to be a 20-year veteran of the force.
Lehi police officers were responding to an earlier call from a clerk at Walker's gas station of a woman driving erratically. Minutes later, officers caught up with the woman as she was leaving the store.
It appeared the officer followed protocol during the traffic stop, Paul said. The wounded officer was taken by medical helicopter to Utah Valley Medical Center in critical condition.
The bullet entered and exited the officer's head just above his left ear. He was alert and responding to medical personnel, according to Sgt. Paul.
He said the officer is in his mid-50s and a leader in the department. "We're optimistic for a full recovery. ... Obviously it's a trying time for us," Sgt. Darren Paul said.
The other responding officers were not injured.
A Lehi police officer is in critical but stable condition after being shot twice in the head by a suspect in a traffic stop Monday morning. The shooter, a 34-year-old Washington state woman, was shot and killed by backup officers.
Capt. Harold Terry, 55, was shot just above his left ear. He was conscious and talking when he was airlifted to Utah Valley Regional Medical Center in Provo in critical condition. Lehi police spokesman Sgt. Darren Paul said Terry was recuperating with his wife and children after undergoing surgery to remove a bullet and bullet fragments. "We are optimistic and hopeful for a full recovery," Paul said.
Around 8:46 a.m., a clerk at Walker Oil, near 850 E. Main St., called police to report a possible impaired driver. The clerk told police the woman was driving erratically, and had slurred speech and balance problems when she went to the store to buy gas.
Terry, a 16-year veteran of the Lehi Police Department, pulled over the woman's tan Honda Accord near 1000 E. Main St. at 8:52 a.m. According to Paul, Terry and the driver talked for a few moments before some type of argument started. The woman pulled out a .38-caliber revolver and shot Terry twice from the driver's seat of her car, Paul said.
After shooting Terry, the woman got out of her car and was shot and killed by three backup officers who had arrived at the scene, Paul said. Terry was able to fire one round after being shot, hitting the suspect's vehicle. Paul said the backup officers fired five rounds at the suspect, who was hit multiple times.
"They immediately returned fire," Paul said.
Police have not released the name of the suspect, saying they were still attempting to contact relatives in Washington. Paul said she was a Washington resident who was attending school in Provo. He did not specify which school she attended, though he said it was not Brigham Young University.
After the shooting, officers blocked off Main street in Lehi from Interstate 15 to about 1200 East Monday morning. A white sheet covered the shooter's body, which lay several feet from her car.
Paul said investigators do not know the shooter's motive.
"That's part of the ongoing investigation," he said.
Paul said he was unaware of any criminal history or open warrants for the suspect. Investigators were also trying to determine what caused the conflict that immediately preceded the shooting.
"He approached her, requested her driver's license and there was an altercation at that time," Paul said.
Paul said investigators had not yet determined whether there were any signs of drugs or alcohol in the vehicle, which they were in the process of searching. A team from the Utah County Sheriff's Office is investigating, and an autopsy and toxicology test will be conducted by the state medical examiner's office.
As the captain of the Lehi Police Department's patrol unit, one of Terry's duties was to provide training to other officers. Paul described Terry as a leader who is well respected at the department.
His duties did not generally include conducting traffic stops. But he happened to be in the area when the report of the impaired driver came in and was the first officer to spot her tan Honda, so he pulled the car over himself.
"Knowing Capt. Terry, I'm not a bit surprised. He leads by example," Paul said.
Terry also conducts training for the state's Peace Officer Standards and Training Academy, Paul said, and teaches classes at a local college.
Paul said police officers often consider traffic stops to be the most dangerous encounters they have because there are so many unknown factors involved.
"Obviously we have to be cautious. We don't know who we're approaching," he said.
DAILY HERALD
Posted by: mpd61
Oh Jeezum!
Prayers for a speedy recovery
ma police, boston ma police, massachusetts police, massachusetts police, mass state police, mass police, ma, mass, massachusetts, massachusetts, massachutes, massachusetts law, massachusetts polece, police, officer, police officer, cops, police gear, law enforcement, police duty gear, state police, sheriff, law, police supply, police agency directory, police agency, police department, traffic officer, police dept, state trooper, dispatcher, massachusetts county sheriff, massachusetts sheriff, massachusetts department of corrections, ma doc, doc, dept of corrections, police information, civil service, ma civil service, massachusetts crime, police training, police academy, ma police academy, massachusetts officers, masscop, masscops, mpa, bpa, ibpoa, police association, massachusetts police news, massachusetts crime news, mass most wanted, police career information, police patrol, police administration, police books, crime scene training, police discussion, crime discussions, cops
About MassCops, the home for Massachusetts law enforcement.
The Massachusetts Law Enforcement Network opened in 1998 and is now a part of the New England Police Network The site is a pro-police discussion forum intended for sworn police officers and civilian law enforcement officials as well as those interested in pursuing a career in law enforcement here in Massachusetts.
The goal of The Massachusetts Law Enforcement Network is to provide an informal network of law enforcement officials here in Massachusetts for educational and informational purposes.
The forum covers many topics such as Police Related News Articles, Agency & Profession Discussions, Police Training as well as Law Enforcement Career Information.
The Massachusetts Law Enforcement Network and The New England Police Network (NEPN) and it's network sites are privately owned websites/domains and are not affiliated with or endorsed by any government association or agency.
MassCops (masscops.com) and (masscop.com) are privately owned are not affiliated with or endorsed by the Massachusetts Coalition of Police (masscop.org)
ma police, boston ma police, massachusetts police, massachusetts police, mass state police, mass police, ma, mass, massachusetts, massachusetts, massachutes, massachusetts law, massachusetts polece, police, officer, police officer, cops, police gear, law enforcement, police duty gear, state police, sheriff, law, police supply, police agency directory, police agency, police department, traffic officer, police dept, state trooper, dispatcher, massachusetts county sheriff, massachusetts sheriff, massachusetts department of corrections, ma doc, doc, dept of corrections, police information, civil service, ma civil service, massachusetts crime, police training, police academy, ma police academy, massachusetts officers, masscop, masscops, mpa, bpa, ibpoa, police association, massachusetts police news, massachusetts crime news, mass most wanted, police career information, police patrol, police administration, police books, crime scene training, police discussion, crime discussions, cops