Three officers were killed while serving a warrant for a suspect in domestic violence.
After the shooting, police took the suspect, aged 49, into custody
Floyd County Sheriff John Hunt stated that the officers were in “pure hell” upon arriving at the home of the man.
The scene was also home to four other victims in Allen, Kentucky. Allen is a small community in the mountainous eastern Kentucky region with just 166 residents.
The officers who were killed in the shooting on Thursday night have been identified as Capt Ralph Frasure and Deputy William Petry, along with Jacob Chaffins, their dog handler.
K9 Drago, a dog Mr Chaffins used to handle, also passed away.
Capt Frasure was a 39-year veteran of the Prestonsburg Police Department. According to the department, he had served with honor and glory until the end.
When they arrived at the Main Street house, the men encountered a torrent of gunfire (from a rifle) just before 19:00 GMT (midnight GMT).
After negotiations with family members, Lance Storz surrendered and was shot for almost three hours.
He was charged with two counts each of murdering a officer and five counts each of attempted murder.
Andy Beshear, Kentucky’s governor, stated in a post on social media that “This is a difficult morning for our commonwealth.”
“Floyd County, and our brave first responders, suffered a terrible loss last night.”
Kentucky State Police troopers are conducting an investigation into the shooting.
