'A sad day.' Oklahoma County deputy killed, second wounded while serving eviction notice

Authorities have identified Benjamin Plank, 35, as the suspect who was arrested Monday afternoon after a shooting left one Oklahoma County sheriff's deputy dead and another wounded as they tried to serve an eviction notice in southwest Oklahoma City.

Plank was being held Tuesday at the Oklahoma County jail on complaints of first-degree murder, shooting with intent to kill, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon and use of a vehicle in discharging a weapon, records show.

Plank was supposed to have been appearing Tuesday before a judge in Oklahoma County District Court on a hearing about a victim protective order that had been filed against him.

Plank is accused of having opened fire on Oklahoma County Sheriff's Office Sgt. Bobby Swartz and a colleague as they attempted to deliver an eviction notice to the property's occupant.

"It's a sad day for the Oklahoma County Sheriff's Office," Sheriff Tommie Johnson III said. "Law enforcement, it's a tight community, and I'm so thankful they were screaming across the state for my guys."

The deputies, described as veteran officers who have been with the department more than 20 years, were taken to OU Medical Center, where Swartz was pronounced dead.

In a 2018 Facebook video, Swartz said he joined the sheriff's office in December 1997. "Before that I was in the Army Reserves," he said.

He said he joined the sheriff's office because he likes helping people.

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The wounded deputy was not immediately identified and was described as being in "stable condition," according to the sheriff's office.

The incident began just after 1 p.m. when deputies attempted to serve an eviction notice in the 2200 block of SW 78, officials said.

"We had two deputies who were serving lockout papers, contacted the individual at the front door. They went around to the back door and that's when the shooting began," Johnson said. "Shot the first deputy, the second deputy tried to get that deputy out of the way of gunfire and then he was struck, as well."

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At least one deputy on the scene was able to return fire during the incident, said Capt. Valerie Littlejohn, public information officer for the Oklahoma City Police Department.

'This was about as routine as it gets'

Aaron Brilbeck, public information officer for the Oklahoma County Sheriff's Office, said serving papers and doing lockouts is "what these guys do."

"This was about as routine as it gets," he said. "These deputies are very well trained; this is the thing that they do 8-10-12 hours per day, every single day."

"Generally it's a question of serving paperwork on a door, coming back a few days later, and nine times out of 10 the person has already vacated the premises. That wasn't the case this time around."

After the shooting, the suspect fled in a truck towing a boat and was spotted by Oklahoma City police and other agencies, which began a pursuit, officials said. The suspect led the police through the city, driving on several highways, including Interstate 240, I-35 and I-40.

"During that pursuit the suspect was firing rounds at officers, and we had officers, as well, returning fire at the suspect," Littlejohn said.

The pursuit ended at the Tinker Gate of Tinker Air Force Base after the driver exited I-40. He was taken into custody with the assistance of "multiple agencies," police said. The suspect was first taken to an area hospital to be medically cleared.

The last line-of-duty shooting death in the Oklahoma County Sheriff's Office occurred in 1935, when the agency was still called the Oklahoma County Constable's Office, according to the Officer Down Memorial Page.

City, state, local leaders react to shooting

Responses to the shooting began flooding Twitter almost immediately from across the city and state, including Oklahoma City police, Mayor David Holt, the Oklahoma City FBI office, Stillwater police and the Oklahoma State Department of Homeland Security, who all offered condolences and prayers to the deputies, sheriff's office and their families.

Oklahoma County District 1 Commissioner Carrie Blumert and District 2 Commissioner Brian Maughan each issued statements after the incident.

Maughan called the incident a malicious attack and Blumert said the shooting of the deputies left her "sad and angry."

"Our deputies, as well as all law enforcement officers across Oklahoma County, work daily to keep the citizens of Oklahoma County safe. My thoughts and prayers are with our two deputies, their families, and all the members of the Oklahoma County Sheriff’s Office."

Gov. Kevin Stitt said on Twitter that he was grateful for the "swift actions" of the Oklahoma Highway Patrol and Oklahoma City police to "prevent any further loss of life."

"Heartbreaking day. Two Oklahoma County Sheriff Deputies were shot in the line of duty, one was killed," Stitt tweeted. "We are praying for the fallen deputy’s family and for the deputy still fighting for their life."

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma County deputy killed, second wounded in SW OKC shooting