Ambush Suspect in Custody

Two police officers in Iowa were shot and killed as they sat in their patrol cars early Wednesday in what authorities are calling “ambush-style attacks.” Here’s what we know about the deadly shootings:

What happened?
An on-duty police officer was found fatally shot inside his vehicle shortly after 1 a.m. in Urbandale, Iowa, authorities said. Two police officers responding to reports of shots fired arrived and made the grisly discovery.

About 20 minutes after that and about two miles away, another police officer in Des Moines was found shot in his patrol car. The officer was taken to a nearby hospital, where he died shortly afterward. Early indications show the pair of officers didn’t have time to interact with the gunman, Des Moines Police Sgt. Paul Parizek said at an emotional news conference.
 

“In all appearances, it looks just like that—that these officers were ambushed. It doesn’t look like there was any interactions between these officers and whoever the coward is that shot them while they sat in their cars,” Parizek said before he broke down in tears.

Who did it?
A 46-year-old suspect named Scott Michael Greene was taken into custody shortly after police identified him as someone who may have “critical” information to the case, police said. Authorities found the Urbandale resident, who is white, in Dallas County and are bringing him to Des Moines. It’s unclear if authorities are seeking any other suspects in connection with the shootings.

Police also do not yet know the motive but discussed the tense anti-police culture playing out in the country following several high-profile police shootings of unarmed black men. “There’s a clear and present danger to police officers right now,” Parizek said. “These guys were gunned down, sitting in their car, doing nothing wrong. There’s somebody out there shooting police officers.”

Who were the officers?
Both police departments have not yet named their fallen officers. Urbandale Police Sgt. Chad Underwood said he believes the department, which has a little more than 50 cops, has never before lost an officer in the line of duty.

Meanwhile, lawmakers and police departments mourned the slain officers across the country. “An attack on public safety officers is an attack on the public safety of all Iowans,” Ben Hammes, spokesperson for Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad, said in a statement. “We call on Iowans to support our law enforcement officials in bringing this suspect to justice. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the families of the police officers who were tragically killed in the line of duty as well as the officers who continue to put themselves in harm’s way.”

Press release: pic.twitter.com/rQsQrOYCVO

— Urbandale Police (@UrbandalePolice) November 2, 2016