UNITED STATES NEWS

Police say 1 officer fatally shot, 1 hurt in Tenn.

Dec 14, 2012, 10:49 PM

Associated Press

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) – A Memphis police officer was fatally shot and another wounded during a shootout at a home Friday, authorities said.

Officers with the organized crime unit entered a home in east Memphis to serve a drug-related search warrant at 8 a.m. Friday, Police Director Toney Armstrong said.

A suspect with a 9 mm pistol and a high-capacity magazine exited a bedroom and fired numerous shots, striking officers Martoiya Lang and William Vrooman, he said.

Officers returned fire, striking the suspect in the abdomen.

Lang, 32 and a mother of four girls, was shot in her upper torso, Armstrong said. She died of her injuries at the Regional Medical Center.

Vrooman, who was shot in the leg, was treated and released from the same hospital.

The 21-year-old suspect was hospitalized in stable condition, police said. He has no criminal record. Police did not release his name, citing the ongoing investigation.

A 26-year-old man who also was in the home was in custody, but no charges had been filed as of Friday afternoon.

Lang and Vrooman, 32, were the 10th and 11th police officers to be shot while on duty since Armstrong took over the department in April 2011. Lang was the second officer to die.

“This is something that has torn this department apart,” Armstrong said.

The shooting was a reminder that police officers put their lives in danger every day they are on duty, Memphis Mayor A C Wharton said.

“Through it all, we appreciate deeply, beyond measure _ words can’t express the sacrifice they make for our city,” Wharton told reporters outside the hospital.

Lang had been with the department since June 2003, Armstrong said. A fund to benefit her daughters was established at SunTrust Bank in Memphis. Lang’s daughters are ages 2, 12, 13 and 14.

“She was a friend, a family member,” Armstrong said.

More than a dozen officers gathered outside the hospital. One woman was seen crying loudly and being led into the hospital. Armstrong was visibly shaken as he and Wharton spoke with reporters.

Armstrong would not say how many rounds the high-capacity magazine held or how many shots were fired. He said it was common to see shooting suspects use a 9 mm.

“More often than not, it seems to be the gun of choice,” he said.

Wharton said the shooting reflects a national problem _ too many criminals have too many guns.

“Nobody has a Second Amendment right to load up and kill a police officer,” he said.

(Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

United States News

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., talks to reporters just after lawmakers pushed a $95 bill...

Associated Press

Ukraine, Israel aid advances in rare House vote as Democrats help Republicans push it forward

The House pushed ahead Friday on a foreign aid package of $95 billion for Ukraine, Israel, Taiwan and other sources of humanitarian support.

28 minutes ago

Associated Press

Idaho group says it is exploring a ballot initiative for abortion rights and reproductive care

BOISE, Idaho (AP) — A new Idaho organization says it will ask voters to restore abortion access and other reproductive health care rights in the state after lawmakers let a second legislative session end without modifying strict abortion bans that have been blamed for a recent exodus of health care providers. “We have not been […]

2 hours ago

Associated Press

An Alabama prison warden is arrested on drug charges

ATHENS, Ala. (AP) — The warden of an Alabama prison was arrested Friday on drug charges, officials with the state prison system confirmed. Chadwick Crabtree, the warden at Limestone Correctional Facility, was charged with the manufacturing of a controlled substance, possession of marijuana, possession of a controlled substance, and possession of drug paraphernalia, according to […]

2 hours ago

Associated Press

South Africa man convicted in deaths of 2 Alaska Native women faces revocation of U.S. citizenship

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Federal prosecutors want to revoke the U.S. citizenship of a South Africa man convicted of killing two Alaska Native women for allegedly lying on his naturalization application for saying he had neither killed nor hurt anyone. Brian Steven Smith, 52, was convicted earlier this year in the deaths of the two […]

3 hours ago

Associated Press

10-year-old boy confesses to fatally shooting a man in his sleep 2 years ago, Texas authorities say

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — A 10-year-old boy has confessed to an unsolved killing in Texas, telling investigators that he shot a man he did not know while the victim slept, authorities said Friday. The boy, who was just shy of his eighth birthday when the man was shot two years ago, has been evaluated at […]

3 hours ago

Associated Press

Man who won primary election while charged with murder convicted on lesser charge

LEBANON, Ind. (AP) — A central Indiana man who won a primary election for a township board position while charged with killing his estranged wife has been found guilty of the lesser charge of voluntary manslaughter. A Boone County jury convicted Andrew Wilhoite, 41, of Lebanon on Thursday, local news outlets reported. Wilhoite was charged […]

3 hours ago

Sponsored Articles

...

Day & Night Air Conditioning, Heating and Plumbing

Day & Night is looking for the oldest AC in the Valley

Does your air conditioner make weird noises or a burning smell when it starts? If so, you may be due for an AC unit replacement.

...

Fiesta Bowl Foundation

The 51st annual Vrbo Fiesta Bowl Parade is excitingly upon us

The 51st annual Vrbo Fiesta Bowl Parade presented by Lerner & Rowe is upon us! The attraction honors Arizona and the history of the game.

...

Collins Comfort Masters

Avoid a potential emergency and get your home’s heating and furnace safety checked

With the weather getting colder throughout the Valley, the best time to make sure your heating is all up to date is now. 

Police say 1 officer fatally shot, 1 hurt in Tenn.