Officials say a Kentucky man who was in custody after allegedly shooting three law enforcement officers in June died in jail on Tuesday. Authorities believe the death was a suicide.
WYMT reported Lance Storz, who was accused of fatally shooting three law enforcement officers in June, died in the Pike County Detention Center early Tuesday, according to Floyd County Sheriff John Hunt.
Citing Trent Turner, the commonwealth attorney for Floyd County, the Lexington Herald-Leader reported Storz is believed to have died by his own hand.
Storz had allegedly opened fire on police in June while they were serving a warrant in connection with an alleged “domestic violence situation,” per WYMT.
“Kentucky State Police Post 9 in Pikeville received a call for an officer assist for a shots-fired complaint,” a Kentucky state police official explained, according to WYMT. “They responded out here. That situation turned into an active shooter.”
Three law enforcement officers were killed in the course of the shootout: Deputy William Petry of the Floyd County Sheriff’s Office, as well as Captain Ralph Frasure and Officer Jacob Chaffins, both of the Prestonsburg Police department, the Courier-Journal reported.
“They encountered pure hell,” Hunt told the Courier Journal in the aftermath of the shooting. “They had no chance.”
Four or more other people were injured, per the Courier-Journal
WYMT named Deputy Darrin Lawson, Constable Gary Wolfe, and Floyd County Emergency Director Joe Reynolds as being among those injured.
A police dog was killed as well, per the Courier-Journal.
Storz was charged with two counts of murder of a police officer, two additional counts of attempted murder, and assaulting a service animal, per WYMT. His bond was set at ten million dollars.
The Herald-Leader reported the warrant concerned an alleged incident in which Storz was accused of trapping his wife in a bedroom when she attempted to leave:
Storz’s wife said he trapped her in a bedroom, threw her around the room and slapped her, and sexually assaulted her. He allegedly brandished a pistol and demanded that she beg for her life and their daughter’s life, according to the complaint.
“Lance said he has nothing to lose and is ‘all in,'” his wife said in the complaint. She also said he told her “I would never leave him outside of a body bag” and that he would kill their daughter as well.
Storz’s wife reportedly contacted police and was able to leave the home with their daughter while Storz was asleep, according to the Herald-Leader. The publication indicated the alleged shootout occurred when police returned to arrest him.
Hunt says police are still investigating the circumstances of Storz’s death and that an autopsy has yet to be conducted, per WYMT.