Man accused of killing 3 officers, injuring 5 others in Floyd County

FLOYD COUNTY, Ky. (WKYT) - A Floyd County man is accused of killing three police officers and shooting five more people during a barricade situation.

The Floyd County Sheriff’s Department identified the two officers killed were Prestonsburg Police Captain Ralph Frasure and Deputy William Petry.

The Prestonsburg Police Department confirmed Friday night that Officer Jacob Chaffins died from his injuries. He was a canine handler.

In a statement on Facebook, the department said: You have dedicated your short time on this earth to the service of the citizens of Prestonsburg and the Commonwealth as an EMT, Fire Fighter, and Police Officer. You further dedicated yourself to the security of our country as a valiant soldier.

The lives you’ve saved since you even started policing are innumerable, and that’s how you gave your life - saving another. We will shine your light to Paisley and the world so long as we breathe.

NOTE: The following video contains information that has since been updated.

It all unfolded Thursday night in the city of Allen off US 23. The sheriff said deputies were serving a domestic violence order when a man opened fire. That man was identified as Lance Storz.

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Officials said he went on a shooting spree and barricaded himself in a home for hours. Responding agencies included KSP, The Louisville Field Division of the Bureau of Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, and agencies from Boyd, Knott, and Laurel counties.

Seven of the people shot were officers and two of those officers died. The eighth victim was an emergency management director. The arrest citation said a police canine was also shot and killed.

“They encountered pure hell when they arrived, they had no chance,” Sheriff John Hunt said.

Sheriff Hunt said one officer hid under a car for hours and suffered carbon monoxide poisoning. He said the police canine that was shot was inside of that car.

“At one time the car he was under took a barrage of bullets. Shot the K-9 dog in the back seat,” Hunt said.

Floyd County Attorney Keith Bartley described it as a “war zone.”

“When I got out of the car there are bullets raining down on us. It is a war zone. He was a sure terrorist. He was a terrorist with a vision,” Bartley said.

We got our first look at Storz on Friday morning when he appeared in front of a judge via video. He’s facing murder of a police officer, attempted murder, and assault on a service animal charges. He had not guilty pleas entered on his behalf for all of them.

A judge set his bond at $10 million.

“This guy had a plan, and he pretty much executed that plan almost to precision,” Sheriff Hunt said.

As of Friday morning, it’s still a very active investigation on Main Street in Allen. It’s a very small town, and our crew at the scene said there are police cars and investigators it seems on every street.

We were able to speak to the Floyd County sheriff and county attorney, who described this situation as “an attack on law officers” and an “ambush.” They talked about how gunfire was raining down on the officers responding and they said at first it was difficult to even know where the bullets were coming from.

With so many impacted from such a small close-knit community, all of this is extremely difficult.

“I don’t know if there is any comfort for any at this time. Those people were not just police officers. I think that gets lost a lot of times, in media across the country. You hear about something happening in another state. It’s not a police officer shot. Multiple police officers in this case. Human beings. People with children, spouses, moms and dads, their world will never be same,” Bartley said.

The event lasted hours. The state criminal response team arrived just before 7:00 p.m.

Storz was not booked into jail until about 5:00 a.m. Friday morning. His next court date is set for his preliminary hearing on Monday, July 11.

Governor Andy Beshear posted a message about the situation Thursday night, calling on Kentuckians to pray for families involved.

Law enforcement agencies from across Kentucky have been sharing messages of support for first responders involved with the shooting.

KSP is postponing a 74th birthday celebration and mascot reveal originally set to take place Friday. No new date has been announced so far.

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