Photo of police tape and a police car. Detectives and officer are in the background.
Three police officers were killed during a violent standoff in Kentucky.tillsonburg/Getty Images
  • Police were serving a domestic violence warrant in Kentucky when a suspect opened fire.
  • Three police officers and a police dog were killed, and at least six others were wounded.
  • Suspect Lance Storz, 49, has been charged with several counts, including murder of a police officer.

Three police officers and a police dog were killed after a suspect opened fire during an hours-long standoff in Kentucky, authorities said.

Police were attempting to serve a court-issued warrant related to a domestic violence situation at a home in the town of Allen, Floyd County Sheriff John Hunt told reporters, according to AP.

The responding officers encountered "pure hell" when they arrived on the scene, Hunt said. "They had no chance," he said. The gunman seemed to have prepared for the arrival of the police and "pretty much executed that plan almost to precision," Hunt said, per CNN.

Four deputies initially responded and then called for backup after taking fire. Along with the fatalities, five other officers and an emergency management official were wounded, AP said.

Suspect Lance Storz, 49, was taken into custody following negotiations that included his family members, AP reported.

The slain officers were named Deputy William Petry and Prestonsburg Police Capt. Ralph Frasure is a 39-year veteran of law enforcement in Floyd County. 

Prestonsburg officer Jacob Chaffins was initially identified as a survivor, but he later died in hospital, police said on Facebook.

According to WSAZ-TV, the protection order that police were trying to serve said that a woman had accused Storz of abuse, including rape and sodomy.

He then allegedly briefly held the woman and a child captive inside the home in Allen, according to the order, before they were moved to a safehouse on Thursday.

Storz pleaded not guilty to two counts of murder of a police officer and was jailed on a $10 million bond following an arraignment in Pike County on Friday morning, per AP.

He appeared via video with multiple bruises and lacerations on his face, reports said.

One charge of attempted murder was upgraded to murder, the judge said, and Storz is also facing another attempted murder charge and assault on a service animal.

A preliminary hearing for Storz is set for July 11, Law and Crime reported, citing jail records.

Read the original article on Insider