Man charged with killing 3 police officers in Kentucky shootout dies in jail
The man accused of killing three police officers and injuring several others in a shootout over the summer in Eastern Kentucky has died while awaiting trial.
Lance Storz, who had been in custody since the shooting on June 30, 2022, was being held at the Pike County Detention Center, according to Floyd County Sheriff John Hunt. While Hunt said he could not confirm additional details while jail officials investigate the death, the Lexington Herald-Leader reported Storz had died by suicide, according to Floyd County Commonwealth's Attorney Brent Turner, who did not return a Courier Journal request for comment Tuesday morning.
Storz, who was 49 at the time of the shooting, had been accused of opening fire on officers as they attempted to serve a domestic violence warrant at his home in Allen, a town of roughly 160 people in Eastern Kentucky.
Floyd County Sheriff's Deputy William Petry, Prestonsburg Police Capt. Ralph Frasure and Prestonsburg Officer Jacob Chaffins died in the hourslong shootout. At least four other people were injured, and a K9 officer named Drago was killed as well.
“They encountered pure hell,” Hunt told The Courier Journal in the aftermath of the shooting. “They had no chance.”
Previous headlines:As Eastern Kentucky mourns 3 officers killed in line of duty, questions and grief remain
Storz was due back in court in late March for a pretrial hearing in the case, which could have resulted in the death penalty.
He was charged with three counts of murdering a police officer, six counts of attempted murder of a police officer, two counts of first-degree assault of a police officer, one count of first-degree assault of a police animal and one count of fourth-degree domestic violence.
The summer shootout rocked Floyd County and the surrounding community, including tight-knit Prestonsburg, the county seat about five miles from the site of the shooting. Prestonsburg Police Chief Randy Woods said the community had been "turned on its head" in the aftermath of the three-hour standoff, with the victims honored in several vigils during the following days.
Storz had moved to the community about 18 months before the shooting and had no prior criminal history in Kentucky ahead of the incident. He had been accused of domestic violence earlier in the day of the shooting and officers who responded to the scene were serving an emergency protective order that had been filed against him by a family member.
Reporters Krista Johnson and Eleanor McCrary contributed. Reach Lucas Aulbach at laulbach@courier-journal.com.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Lance Storz: Allen, Kentucky police shooting suspect dies in custody
